Servants of the Empire: Old Enemies
by JCE1985
Summary: AU. The old story: What if the Empire won at Endor? The Rebellion has been defeated but not forgotten. Between Rakatan superweapons, Jedi and Rebels, two young Darksiders fight for the Empire.
1. Intro & Chapter 1

**Servants of the Empire**

**Old Enemies**

by JCE1985

Time Period: 10 A.B.Y.

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, unoriginal character property of Lucasfilm, etc, etc...

**Dramatis Personae:**

With the Empire:

Arkyn Medor, Dark Side Elite (Human male)  
Tel Vynkar, Dark Side Elite (Human male)  
Loam Redge, Inquisitor (unknown)  
M.XI-LO6 "Lox", Bodyguard (Mark-XI-Executioner)  
IC-3557/56 "Jex", Commander 7./926th Fast Inquisitorial Response/Strike Taskforce (FIRST)-Platoon (Human male)  
Liron Gar, Moff – Dolkar Sector (Human male)  
LeFey Gordon, Vice-Admiral (Human male)  
Aurelia Glermin, Civilian (Human female)  
Jaios Caybasi, Imperial Intelligence Lieutenant (Human male)

--

With the Rebellion:

Boc Seclam, Council triumvir (Twi'lek male)  
Tailamur, Council triumvir (Stenax male)  
Iran Kalamar, Council triumvir (Human male)  
Nextor, Jedi Representative (FLTCH-droid)  
Irenez, Navy Representative (Human female)  
Trybokk, Army Representative (Wookiee male)  
Tav Breil'lya, Intelligence Representative (Bothan male)  
Djerok, Apprentice (Human male)  
"Farmgirl", Trainee (Human female)  
Brewker, Pilot (Duros male)  
Qixoni, Protocol droid (HK-50 protocol driod)

* * *

_In our life, we always asked ourselves: "What if...?" We don't know the exact answer. We can only speculate. In a galaxy, far far away, here's the same question: "What if...?"_

_What, if the Empire did win at Endor? What, if the rebellion had been crushed? What if Luke Skywalker had chosen the dark side? What, if the Emperor would still rule the galaxy? What would have happened?_

_Some events would take place, untouched by this event. Think of the Ssi-ruuk invasion, the Yevethan rebellion or even of a giant armada of brutal invaders, en route to this galaxy. _

_Some events never would have happened. Think of all the warlords, all the darksiders and politicians and their intrigues. Think of all the chaos._

_What would happen to the people of this galay. They would live their lifes. Not under a republic, but under an Empire. _

_Let this be the stories of some of these people. They have to find their places in the galaxy. High, on the top of the throne or six feet under. They have utheir/u destinies, they all make utheir/u decisions, but in the end, they're all loyal servants of the empire..._

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector  
Some kilometres away from a small village  
Deep night

_He ran through the woods. The others were close behind him. He could hear their footsteps, he heard their weapons as they fired red energy bolts in his direction, he felt their presences in the force. He did not look back, he didn't have to. He knew what was happening._

_He turned his concentration towards the area which was in front of him: With one step to the other the woods vanished and turned into a wide meadow. The sky was clear and a single bright full moon was right in front of him in the sky, filling the whole scenario in a light blue colour. Only lonely trees and bushed interrupted the otherwise infinity valley of nature._

_He used the force and accelerated his speed to an inhuman level and headed towards one of these trees. He knew he couldn't escape them now. They were too close. He had to face them now and terminate them. With one large, force-empowered jump he moved himself up to the top of the tree, became one with the darkness and waited._

_Then they came. Twenty soldiers in black Scout Trooper armor and black coats, wielding modified Stormtrooper One blaster rifles. One soldier in black Stormtrooper armor and a long inquisitor-robe – their leader. No visible weapons, but he was sure he had some. And ten skeleton-shaped silhouettes – Phase-I Dark Troopers._

_They left the woods in a standard search pattern and approached his tree. He did not hear what they said, but he felt their emotions. Frustration. Their target had escaped – but not for long. They would find the traitor and eliminate him. Then they were directly in front of his tree. The one in the Stormtrooper Armor put out a silver, paddle-shaped scanner and activated it. Just after a blink of an eye after he directed his men to the top of the tree, a dark figure made double-loop-jump off the tree's top and the sound of a cold blue lightsaber filled the air. Before the troopers could aim their blasters at him, he had already beheaded one droid and when he landed turned fast around him and cut two troopers above their hips._

_It was a ghostly scene: Matching with the blue moonlight that illuminated the scene, a blue sword cut with an enormous speed through black human bodies. No scream was heard. Every noise was absorbed by the stealth filters of their helmets. No blaster was fired. The man with the lightsaber was to fast to be aimed. Every one of them was trained to handle force-user, but this one here was better than anything they have ever encountered. The leader, the one in the Stormtrooper armor, engaged him with two vibroswords, he was a master of the Jar'Kai-style, but he failed, too. When he hit the ground, the last thing he saw was how the last droid got cut into pieces._

_He walked over the limbs and dead bodies of what had been a platoon of inquisitorial commandos. Too many lives had been wasted, in a war that should not have been fought. But mistakes had been made and now it was upon him and his allies to correct these mistakes and end this war. Again, he looked at the bodies. "Mindless drones", he mumbled. He took a comlink out of his pocket and contacted his allies. There was a great mess to be cleaned up._

* * *

**Chapter 1: Call of Duty**

Byss – Deep Core  
Emperor's Citadel – Panorama-room  
Morning

The room was seed-shaped and completely black. One wall was a giant window which allowed a wide view over the cityscape of Byss, while the other wall had a door and several computer-terminals. The only other furniture was some sofas, arranged for private talks as well as relaxing time while enjoying the view.

_As if this view could ever be enjoyable_, he thought. His name was Arkyn Medor, he was one of the Dark Side Elite warriors of the Empire. It seemed like an eternity for him since he had left his homeworld and was taken to Dromund Kass to train in the arts of the dark side. The training was hard, many of his classmates did not survive the training, but now he was here. He mastered everything the instructors confronted him and became one of the best. He was selected to be a Dark Side Elite. Not a Royal Guard, a Prophet, Inquisitor or something else. No. He was now an elite warrior of the Empire.

He arrived at Byss two weeks ago and, aside from getting settled in, he had nothing to do but to found out that the rumours about Byss had been true. The whole planet was a nexus of the dark side. The weak, which lived here, were drained out by the immense concentration of darkness and even the atmosphere of the planet was a polluted green-blue layer of the dark side. When he looked into the empty faces and eyes of the servant girls every morning he knew that it didn't always need a Death Star to kill a planet.

Whenever he had the opportunity, he left the citadel and went to the docking tower incognito. It was a place full of live and activity, because most of the spacers did not stay long enough to be affected by the dark side effects permanently, so the discos and clubs were always worth a visit. There he could be a normal youth like he been on Kidriff 5, in the time before the visit of the Inquisitors. But then again, the dirty and drugged quarters were only a shadow of the bright streets of the Tobaskin Sector.

Normally, Elites were chosen to go on a mission by one of the seven Executors, who lead the cadre, but there had been no big crisis that had required the help of a rookie. So, like every morning he laid in one of the sofas with a datapad in his hands and watched the sick green sky of Byss while reading the Empire's news. _The real news_, he thought. _One of the advantages is, when you belong to the Empire's inner circle that you don't have to worry about public propaganda. You know about all the problems, because you're here to solve them._

His eyes flew over the headlines:

_-Yevethan uprising: Star Destroyer _Dragon's Breath_ lost at Doornik-207 (more)_

_-Former imperial senator Atarkin Bode executed for treason (more)_

_-Grand Admiral Pitta launches new campaign against Ssi-Ruuvi-Imperium (more)_

_-Gotal uprising: Enslavement begins (more)_

_-Corporate Sector: Weapon factory taken over by Imperial Munitions (more)_

_-Rebel cell destroyed on Garqi (more)_

_-…_

Nothing new. He read similar reports all the time during his two weeks. After the victory at Endor six years ago the Empire was victorious at all fronts, just some little rebellion here and there, but nothing coordinated or dangerous.

* * *

The door opened behind him and he felt a known presence enter the room. Tel Vynkar, a fellow Elite. Like Medor, Vynkar was a new Elite, but he had been on Byss for a year already. He was also one of the first person Medor had met on Byss and someone he considered to be his friend. He didn't know how Vynkar saw their relation, because he was difficult to value due to his outbursts of rage he often had. But Medor was sometimes able to calm him down before he went berserk and due to the fact he was still alive he thought that Vynkar did at least respect him a little bit.

"So, Arkyn, what's new in the empire?" he asked.

"See it for yourself!" Medor replied and tossed the pad with force over in Vynkar's hands.

He flew over the lines and his face got bored. "A little rebellion here, a small genocide there. Man, can't this galaxy live in peace?"

"Must be all these aliens. They're like little spoiled brats, they quarrel about everything. And if someone has something the other one hasn't, it's time for a little war", he said and meant it. The empire had brought stability and order to a galaxy of corruption and chaos. He didn't understand why, but some people yearned back to the days of the Old Republic.

"I still wonder how the Republic could have survived for such a long time", Vynkar said.

"I don't know. Maybe it was already dead. A fouled rotten body filled with maggots and parasites."

"Whatever. And if it wasn't for all these non-humans, we wouldn't have a job."

"So true…"

The door opened again, but this time Arkyn hardly felt the entering presence. It was a broken soul, more dead than alive.

"Forgive me, Masters, but…", a soft and weak voice begun.

"How dare you not to kneel in my presence?" Vynkar screamed in an outburst of anger. He turned around and pointed his hand towards a young human girl. The servant girl had just entered the room and was still more than five metres away from him, but he grappled her throat with the force and her bare feet found themselves suddenly lifted more than half a metre off the ground. The datapad she had hold in her hands landed with a metallic sound on the ground and her hands went to her throat, trying in a futile afford to remove the invisible grasp.

_Here we go again…_ Medor thought. He sighed. "Do you have to?"

"Please", she coughed, "I… won't…"

"She is a worthless slave", Vynkar thundered. He turned around towards Arkyn, but the girl was still in the air, begging for her life. "If she doesn't know how to show her respect to a higher being, she must die!"

"And you really need to learn to control yourself", Arkyn said. He was still lying on the sofa and had his view turned to the big panorama window.

"Don't lecture me! Rage and anger are the source of our power!"

"No!" Arkyn interrupted. "Our source is the Dark Side. And we gain our power through darkness. Deep darkness and control!" _At least I do_. "When you relay on your anger, you're nothing more than a mindless berserker. And that job is already taken by the Chrysalides!"

"You think so?" Vynkar's voice suddenly was free of all the rage. It was normal, like it was before the girl had entered the room. Behind him, the poor child fell on the ground, still coughing but released from the iron grip and now trying to regain her breath.

"Yep. Think about it. Now let's see what going on." He used the force and the pad of the girl flew into his hand. He read it.

"Tell me! What is it?" Vynkar asked like a young impatient schoolboy.

"It seems we're going on a mission!"

"Great! Finally the galaxy will face its most dangerous warrior!"

"And its greatest ego."

"Funny. When do we leave?"

"ASAP. Slave! Let our ships be prepared!"

The girl was hardly able to walk, but fear can sometimes be very encouraging. "It… (cough)… shall be… done, Master."

Slowly, bowed, nearly crawling, she left the room, almost happy to get away from those creeping creatures.

"Okay, I'm packing." Vynkar said. "Where do we go?"

Medor got up and handed the pad over to his friend while he headed towards the door. "See it for yourself. You're gonna like it!"

Vynkar looked at the datapad. "Wonderful", he mumbled. "Prakith."

**End of Chapter 1**

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

So this is the first chapter of my first fanfic. I hope you enjoyed it and like to read on! If you feel like it, feel free to leave a review.

As you might have noticed, this story takes place in an alternative universe. The main point is that the Emperor's trap at Endor worked. Luke Skywalker chose the dark side and killed his father and the main fleet of the Rebellion has been destroyed. Now, six years later, the story takes place.

Cyphar is a world in the middle rim. Although the name exists in original canon, the descriotion, as well as the sector name and all the other planets in the sector are my own invention.

The black armored Storm- and Scouttroopers are a special branch of the Inquistorius: They are recruited from every branch of the military an have skills that can be useful against lightsaber-wielding force-users... But not always successfully. They investigate 'rogue force-user phenomenons' and decide, if an inquisitor is needed.

Phase-I Dark Trooper are combat droids of skeltal appearance equipped with shield and vibro-blades, designed for melee combat.

The Emperor's Citadel on Byss was first seen in Dark Empire I. Since the Emperor is aktiv on Coruscant, other individuals use it at the moment, although they know who the true master is.

About the headlines in Arkyn's newspad:  
--In the original timeline the Yevethans initiated a revolt against the Empire a few months after Endor, because the Empire retreated towards the Deep Core. In my timeline, the revolt took place a few years later and the Yevethans never truly expelld the Empire. Now the Koornacht Cluster is the place of a guerillia war.

--The Ssi-ruuvi-Imperium invaded the planet of Bakura around the same time as the Battle if Endor. The governor had sent a call for help to the Emperor, but he had cut a deal with the reptilian aliens: They got a few human colonies and the Empire would gain access to the 'entechment'-technology. In the original timeline, the Rebels responded to the call for help and defended Bakura together with the local Imperial Fleet.  
In my timeline, the Ssi-ruuk invaded Bakura and pushed forward along the Shiritoku Spur until they reached the Imperial world of Timora. Fed up with the aliens, the Empire is now busy cleaning up its own mess.

--Imperial Munitions is a holding company of the Empire. Besides producing military equipment, the company also takes over other companies or production facilities who show not enough loyalty towards the Empire.

Prakith is the headquarter world of the Inquistorius.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 – Preparations**

Byss – Deep Core  
Planetary orbit  
Early afternoon

Byss was the secret capital of the empire. A dark side nexus and a private retreat for the Emperor. The half of the imperial Navy was concentrated in the Deep Core and most of it was stationed in the orbit around Byss. Thousands of imperial warships encircled the planet, reaching from small TIE Fighters and PB-950 patrol boats over common _Imperial_-class Star Destroyers to giant leviathans like _Executor_-class command ships and Clone-Wars-era _Mandator-II_-class Star Dreadnoughts.

Two TIE Oppressors left the upper atmosphere. They entered a launching route joining many other ship, freighters, fighter escorts and smaller corvettes. Once they reached a position behind a _Guardian 344_-class cruiser, the _Gorr's Border_, the TIEs' autopilots kicked in and they flew towards the next hyperspace bouy.

* * *

"So, Arkyn, what is this mission all bout?" Tel asked via a short-range ship-to-ship channel.

"You didn't read the pad, did you?" Arkyn answered in a light resigned tone.

"No, not completely", Tel complied, "I read a few lines, but then I was busy packing!"

"And force-chocking another slave girl", Arkyn added.

"Hey, I didn't tell her to cross my way!"

"Whatever", Arkyn said, now sounding very resigned.

"You didn't read the orders either." Tel said after a short pause.

"More than you. But there wasn't much more to read after all"

"So, tell me!"

Arkyn sighed. "Well, Okay. You know the place we're jumping to?"

"Yeah. Prakith. I hate this place: Mountains, plateaus, earthquakes. I'm from Halanit, man! I love the ice!"

"Or is it because of the HQ of the Inquisitorius?" Arkyn asked sounding very pert.

"Hrmpf. Go on!"

"As you wish."

* * *

The stream of ships they had been in entered the second 'atmosphere' of Byss: a nearly infinite fleet of warships orbiting the planet. The ships break up, now without auto-pilot, and flew towards free space between the mighty battlecruisers. The _Gorr's Border_ left to starboard and returned to the planet, while the _Miriam_, a modern YT-1930, and the _Allara's Heart_, an H-Type freighter, stayed with the two TIEs – closely followed by the Star Destroyer _Fire of Cal-Seti_'s main guns.

* * *

"The Inquisitorius heard rumours about 'Jedi-sightings' in the Dolkar Sector" Arkyn told his friend "But that was not on the pad, I heard it in the news a week ago. They now want to send an Inquisitor and asked for some Dark Side Elites to assist him."

"Playing babysitter for a crazy paranoid lightsaber-wielding detective. Great. What else?"

"Basically, That's it. It was a last minute-request. The inquisitorial fleet is going to leave as soon as we arrive. I guess we'll get more specific orders when we arrive there."

"I hope so", his voice changed into a theatrical tone, "'So let us now fly into the great unknown and take the fire of freedom with us. Whatever awaits us, we'll be the swords of the empire and our battles will be the ones of justice and peace.'"

"Tetran Cowall in _Call of the Empire_."

"Yeah, I _love_ that holodrama." His voice got back to normal. "By the way, did they mention the name of the Inq?"

"Loam Redge. Ever heard of him?"

"Yep. Likes to torture force-sensitives, break them and destroy them. Very good at it, too. He also has a personal Mark-XI-Executioner droid and a fitting arena on his ship, the _Black Citadel_. Rumours say that once a victim is broken, it has to fight against the Mark-XI. You know, as a personal recovery for Loam after a hard day at work."

"I don't want to know why you know all this."

"Well…"

"Save it Tel! There's the nav-buoy."

* * *

After the ships had passed the sphere of warships, the freighters again joined up to a long convoy, heading out of the planet's gravity field. Once they were outside of Byss' planetary security grid, the convoy split up and each ship flew towards his own exit vector. Flying a loop over the _Buccaneer_-corvette _Gamma-Tron_, the two TIE Oppressors found their way towards the nav-bouy _NB-B7631-DC_ and from there it was not a long way until they reached hyperspace.

* * *

Prakith – Deep Core  
Citadel Inquisitorius – landing platform  
Early morning

While the engines of the two TIE Oppressors cooled down and technicians begun their work, two shadowed figures slowly headed towards the entry. One figure was taller than the other one. The taller person was also obviously the stronger one. His muscles were clearly visible even through the loose TIE-pilot overall. The other one was smaller, but not small at all. From what could be seen from him, he had a very average built body.

The sun Prak had just stepped over the horizon and the sky, filled with smooth and gently clouds, was in a wonderful soft light brown and yellow colour. A young man in long red robes, obviously an Apprentice Inquisitor, and four inquisitorial Stormtroopers awaited them.

The two pilots took of their helmets and the faces of Arkyn Medor and Tel Vynkar were revealed.

"Welcome to the Citadel Inquisitorious", the man in the robes said with a warm and gently voice, "My name is Finn Darktrin. Inquisitor Redge is already awaiting you. Please, follow me."

* * *

They entered the Citadel. When Arkyn stepped into this huge building, he felt the dark side surrounding him. He shivered, but when he embraced the darkness, a warm feeling fulfilled him. The endless pain and suffering of all the victims fed the dark energies of this place and made it a dark side nexus, like Byss, but in a smaller scale.

The room in which Loam Redge awaited them was almost empty. It was big, almost thirty metres in diameter and had a hexagonal outline and the only furniture was a rack in the centre. The Inquisitor stood next to the table and three IT-3 droids flew in around it, concentrating on the unfortunate victim strapped onto the table. When Arkyn stepped towards the table he could see the person, or what was left of it. It was a young boy in his teens. The pain and agony that was in every breath of air in this citadel, here it was concentrated in this boy. Arkyn used the force and scanned the boy. Immediately he was hit by a wave of pain. It hit him like a fist in his stomach and almost caused him to fall on his knees. Almost. He retracted his senses from the boy and looked up to the Inquisitor.

"Welcome", he said, "Welcome to Prakith and the Citadel Inquisitorius." He had a smoky voice, but warm and soft and a nuance of sadism. His hair was brown and his dirt-coloured eyes showed his inner strength. He looked like thirty, but that wasn't his real age. No one knew how old he was, maybe except himself. "I'm glad you arrived in time"

"Our leave was a little… hasty." Tel said.

"Of course", Loam smiled, "I apologize for this, but it was necessary. I suppose you want to know what this is all about."

"Indeed." Arkyn said.

"As you already might know, we had some…'Jedi sightings' in the Dolkar sector. A FIRST-platoon had been sent to investigate and their reports were 'good' enough that we – the Inquisitorius – decided to send in an Inquisitor… Me. But the problem is – shortly before I was going to leave, the whole platoon vanished!"

"Vanished?", Tel asked.

"From one day to the other", he continued, "So I decide to ask for a little assistance, if things get rough."

"Don't you have your own troops for that?"

"Like the ones who disappeared?"

"Ahm… Exactly."

"So what is our job exactly?" Arkyn finally asked.

"To assist me and my troops, undercover. Be my protectors and my swords. And think for me. I don't need mindless bodyguard drones. That's what I have the sentinels for. I want this case closed as soon as possible so that I can return and continue…", he looked at the boy and smiled, "…with my current subject!"

"By the way, who is this kid?"

"I found him on Kessel last year when I supervised the suppression of a rebellion."

"I heard about it", Tel added, "Tedryn-Sha told me about it… And his fights. Man, this guy has an ego."

"He was good enough to kill some army troopers. Anyway, this boy here was a slave and I found him by chance. His name is Kyp Durron, from Deyer. His parents had been executed and his brother – who is not force-sensitive, by the way, has been send to Carida. He's quite a formidable Stromtrooper now."

He turned to the boy and put an evil smile on his face. "So, farewell now, Kyp. We'll meet again and then, well, let's hope my travel will be most inspiring." He turned around and headed to the door. "Come my warriors. The Empire awaits us. Get to your fighters and onto our flagship, the _Black Citadel_!"

"Flagship?" Tel asked like an excited schoolboy, "Does this mean we have our own fleet?"

"See it for yourself, warrior!" the Inquisitor said, grabbed into his robes and tossed a datapad towards Tel Vynkar.

* * *

_ Inquisitorius SpaceNavy Dept, 56th Deep Core Reserve Fleet Command  
_

_ Fleet assembled as described in Request #1478-F-981_

_ The following ships have been selected:_

- Starhauler_-class Taskforce Cruiser ISS _Indigo Maiden

_ - MFM: Inquisition_

_ -- Onboard Craft_

_ -- 9821st Space Support Fighter Group_

_ -- 1./9821st -- TIE/in-s (6) -- Callsign: Delta_

_ -- 2./9821st -- ATR-6 (6) -- Callsign: Omicron_

_ -- 3./9821st -- Ta-4 (2) -- Callsign: Lamda_

_ -- 7./926th FastInqResStrTf-Platoon_

_ -- VI-7./926th -- _Sentinel_-class LC -- Callsign: Flash_

-

- Strike_-class Medium Cruiser ISS _Unwritten History

_ - MFM: Planetary Assault_

_ -- Onboard Craft_

_ -- 27181st Light Mechanized Attack Battallion_

_ -- 4./27181st -- JV-7 (2) -- Callsign: Nova_

_ -- Y-4 (4) -- Callsign: Intruder_

-

- Strike_-class Medium Cruiser ISS _Generatión

_ - MFM: Carrier_

_ -- Onboard Craft_

_ -- 1027th Space Superiority Fighter Group_

_ -- 1./1027th -- TIE/D (12) -- Callsign: Alpha_

_ -- 2./1027th -- TIE/ad (12) -- Callsign: Beta_

_ -- 3./1027th -- Xg-1 (12) -- Callsign: Gamma_

_ -- 4./1027th -- CUV (2) -- Callsign: Techno_

_ -- Ta-4 (2) -- Callsign: ST66_

-

- Lancer_-class Frigate ISS _Caleidoscope

_ -- Onboard Craft_

_ -- 39674th Space Support Squadron_

_ -- 1./39674th -- Ta-4 (2) -- Callsign: Kappa_

-

- MC80_-class Star Cruiser ISS _Black Citadel_ modified_

_ - Onboard Craft_

_ -- TIE/op (2) -- Callsign: Elite_

_ -- 1550-LEX -- Callsign: Endless Submission_

_ -- 66543rd Space Support Fighter Group_

_ -- 1./66543rd -- Ta-4 (2) -- Callsign: Black_

_ -- 2./66543rd -- HL (2) -- Callsign: Dark_

_ -- CT-11 (4) -- Callsign: Night_

_ -- 3./66543rd -- Ye-4 (2) -- Callsign: Scar_

* * *

As soon as the two TIE Oppressors and a 1550-LEX pleasure yacht had docked to the _Black Citadel_, The fleet left the orbit of the planet. Just a minute before the ships entered Hyperspace, the _Citadel_ sent a hypercomm signal towards Cyphar, informing the Moff that the Inquisitor would arrive soon. Then, within a blink of an eye, the large hyperspace engine kicked in and the ships vanished into hyperspace and there was silence again in space, like they had never existed.

* * *

Cyphar – Middle Rim  
Hidden Rebel base – Private Quarters  
Afternoon

_He was in his room, waiting and thinking. He had just received mail from his spies that an Inquisitor would come to Cyphar. He expected something like this since the night he wiped out that platoon. Now he thought how this would corporate with his plans. It was a great opportunity. Someone of the inner circle, someone from the ivory tower of the deep core would actually come to this world. This would be a chance to show the galaxy that the rebellion was not dead at all. _

_He went to his computer and called up some plans of the museum and the imperial palace. What he had planed was a small act of liberating. But now he had the date of the arrival of the Inquisitor. Now, if his plan was successful, it could be a glorious act of liberation and justice that could liberate this entire sector. And if it was not successful? Well at least his part in this plan would be and so he – and the rebellion – would be one step closer to regain control of the galaxy, whether the attack was successful or not._

_No, the arrival would not change his ultimate plans. It just changed his recent plans into a great opportunity of justice. He would have to call the council and inform them, of course. But they would approve it. It was a risk, of course, but one that had to be taken. They would see it the same way, he was sure of that._

* * *

Hyperspace – en route to Cyphar  
ISS _Black Citadel_ – Salon  
Afternoon

The salon of the _Black Citadel_ had a depressing atmosphere. It was located in a blister on the back of the ship that looked like a giant living amphibious creature. Arkyn had learned that the ship had been once a pleasure cruiser in the pre-empire days, before Inquisitor Redge had 'acquired' it and turned it into his personal home. The salon was big, bigger than the bridge, and was still in its original 'organic' design, but the whole interior was in a dirty, 'used' silver-metallic colour, combined with black, polished wood or leather.

Arkyn watched the stars shining through the dome of transparisteel above him. Of course they were no real stars, just a hologram. Without them, the white streams of hyperspace would have shine through the domes, but their light would have disturbed the grey atmosphere. The salon had several domes: One big one in the center of the room, four smaller ones located left and behind the central dome and a medium dome above the salon's bar right to the central one.

_So_, Arkyn thought, _I'm finally on a mission. That's all I've ever wanted since I survived Dromund Kaas._ He wanted to prove himself. Everything the trainers ever called him had been words like 'weak' or 'worthless' or 'too soft'. But he had proven them wrong. He had been selected to become a Dark Side Elite. An elite warrior of the empire. And now he wanted to prove more. He wanted to prove that he could do everything the trainers said he couldn't do.

_But then again…_ He was on a mission to fight Jedi. Or at least people good enough to wipe out an entire platoon of skilled Jedi-hunters. And he was what? A young warrior. No experience. He could handle a lightsaber. He could fire a blaster. He could fly his TIE. But in a real combat situation? What would he do? The 'simulations' on Dromund Kaas had been real and deadly enough for him – for some of his fellows too deadly – he didn't want to feel this again.

_Stupid thoughts!_ He was a warrior and was afraid of the battle? _If I didn't want to fight I should have become a prophet and should have stayed on Dromund Kaas and become a Prophet. I can do this!_. With these thoughts he tried to ban his doubts from his mind. Forever, he hoped.

Tel didn't seem to have such problems. He hadn't been on a mission either, at least Arkyn didn't know about one, and he did not seem to have any doubts. He was standing behind the bar and was enjoying a self-made drink. _I'm glad he is enjoying himself and not going berserk on some crew members._

He looked back at the holoprojector in front of him. In the time since they had left Prakith Arkyn had spent most of his time looking for information of the Dolkar Sector:

…_the forces currently assigned to the Dolkar Sector consist of the Crimson Diamond Command as the sector fleet and several local forces. The Crimson Diamond Command has currently 2713 ships under its command, with the ISS _Ice Flower (Arc Hammer_-class) and the ISS _Fragmentation (Praetor_-class) as flagships, twenty-seven Star Destroyers (_Imperial_-, _Tector_-, _Venator_- and _Victory_-class, 1223 smaller combat ships and 1461 support ships not counting starfighters, shuttles and smaller transports…_

…_Commander of the Crimson Diamond Commnd is the noted scientist Professor Admiral Heran Glermin, sector administrator is Moff Liron Gar…_

…_ points of interests include the ancient Rakatan ruins on the planet Regal IV, the Jedi Citadel ruins from the New Sith War on the planet Marol, the imperial shipyards in the C'tau-system, the COMPNOR Medical Research Hospital on Cyphar, …_

"Ready for a little fight, Arkyn?" Tel suudenly asked.

"Why are you asking?" Arkyn said after realizing he was back in reality.

Tel drunk the rest of his drink and put the glass down. "You seemed… lost. And I'm bored! I need to destroy something!"

Arkyn looked at Tel, than at the endless datastream in the hologram. "Meet you in the training room in five!"

**End of Chapter 2**

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

The orbit around Byss is filled with starships. Half of the Imperial Navy is located in the Deep Core and most of the ships are stationed here at Byss. Additional to that, there is also a lot of civilian freighter traffic.

Tel Vynkar's homeworld is Halanit, a remote ice-covered world, only known for its fish exports.

Tretan Cowell is a famous actor in Imperial Propaganda productiona and also a hobby TIE-pilot.

Finn Darktrin had been a stident of Loam Redge for many years, as well as an undercover agent for the Empire. Although he is still Redge's protege, he will not accompany his master on this mission.

The uprising on Kessel was led by Moruth Doole in an unsuccsessful attempt to take control of the glitterstim production. Loam Redge and Tedryn-sha were with the strike force when the Empire regained control of the prison colony.

About the Compostion of the fleet: If you have any questions about it, feel free to ask. I'm a fleet junkie, so when it comes to starships, I love the details.

The points of interest of the Dolkar sector will reappear later as well as many other places.

I hope you enjoyed the second chaptor of the story. If you feel like it, feel free to leave a review. Thanks.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 – Encounter**

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector  
Near planetary orbit – Imperial patrol squadron  
After a few days of hyperspace travel

"Imperial cruiser _Black Citadel_, this is Imperial patrol craft _Dream of Stars_, leading patrol squadron Omega-2. Please transmit authority code."

"Patrol cruiser _Dream of Stars_, this Lieutenant Trenning of the imperial cruiser _Black Citadel_, fleet assembly #1478-F-981, repeat: #1478-F-981. Transmit code is Lambda-Blue-34, repeat: Lamda-Blue-34. Please confirm."

"Cruiser _Citadel_, this is the _Dream of Stars_. Fleet assembly #1478-F-981 is confirmed, transmit code Lambda-Blue-34 is confirmed. Your inbound vector is corridor 4. The Moff already awaits you. Welcome to Cyphar."

The _Guardian_-class cruiser and its six escorting Xg-1 _StarWings_ took in a formation above the small collection of capital ships and escorted them to the planet. An orb of green, blue and white, this marble of the Middle Rim seemed like a paradise to those who had just escaped the heavy industrialised ecumenopolises of the Core.

However, for these people that had just arrived, this planet – and sector – would mean a lot of work.

* * *

Cyphar – Middle Rim  
Hidden Rebel Base – Private Quarters  
Afternoon

_Stupid morons, he thought. Couldn't they see the chance? A whole sector! But no! It was too dangerous! Too risky to draw the attention of the Empire towards them! It was the same argument since Endor: Do not encounter the Empire on a large scale. But this time the council was wrong. His master was wrong. His plans were too far advanced to step back now. _

_He went to the planning room. No one else knew of the council's decision. His men would follow his orders. They would do their job and he would do his. They would die or succeed. In the end, it wouldn't matter. He would be successful._

_Disobeying orders and sending loyal men into certain death. He wondered what had happened to the Jedi. He bet the old Jedi would have 'disapproved' his actions. He smiled. Of course they would have. They would have banned him from the order if he even thought of it. And now he did not even thought of such a violation, he even planned it and soon would execute it. _

_The old Jedi had been weak – why else would they have failed – but their Order was strong. And it was his job to rebuild this Order. An Order of the strong. He smiled. What was currently trained as the new foundation of the Order could not be described as strong – not completely. Some were strong, while others were weak. But they needed everyone: That was the only reason why he hadn't disposed all the weaklings that only deserved to be farmers in the AgriCorps._

_Soon, a whole sector would be free of the suppression of the empire. Soon, he would have the ultimate weapon to bring the empire down to its knees. Soon, the council would have to approve that he was right and they weren't. _

_The troops awaited him. The hologram showed a detailed cut-away of their target. It was the final briefing. Tonight was the night they would strike…_

* * *

Cyphar – Middle Rim  
Imperial Palace – Ball Room  
Evening

Arkyn Medor was floating. That was the way _he_ would describe it. He and Vynkar were undercover on a party arranged by Moff Liron Gar to greet his visitors from the core. Inquisitor Redge was enjoying himself while Arkyn and Tel were dressed as Royal Guards. They stood at the wall, guarding the main entrance together with two of the local palace guards.

Not that he was focused on protecting. His HUD was swarming with images, statistics and datas. Only a small part of his visual field showed the golden-white ballroom – and he was barely paying attention to it – the rest was filled with light blue interfaces.

He has been standing here for hours now. He didn't know how the real guards could handle to stand still for such a long time, but he used the force. He had stiffed all the other muscles in his body and had cut of all the other feelings. He was only concentrating on his head. The only things he did was breathing and interacting with the HUD. That was all what existed for him in this universe. He wondered how Tel would handle it. Given that he had problems with his… control, Arkyn wasn't sure that he could stand still that long. But obviously, Tel had found a way.

Loam Redge, wearing long and fine brown-green inquisitorial robes equipped with numerous microphones and mini-holocams, had approached a middle-aged man, wearing an imperial admiral's uniform. His face showed that his thoughts were drifting away, like he was day-dreaming and his brown hair already had a light sign of silver.

"Ah, Professor Admiral Glermin. It is an honour to meet you." Redge's voice came over the audio-channel from one of the Inquisitor's hidden microphones. Arkyn and Tel would immediate call up data about the person Redge spoke to and gave him a brief analysis of his character. It was their mission to find any possible rebel traitors and spy within the palace or high-ranking places of the Empire. And this ball had been perfect, since the Moff had insisted to greet his guests like this

Arkyn's suit was connected to the Inquisitor's yacht's computers and these were connected to the hackers onboard the _Indigo Maiden_. Arkyn began to read the new files. _Nothing special_, he thought, _except that he is one of the most brilliant minds in the galaxy… A family, two kids and his wife is one of the head researchers at this COMPNOR-Hospital._

"I don't think he's a traitor." Tel said.

"No, I don't think so. But I doubt he is capable of commanding a fleet either", Arkyn said, "He seems more to be the 'absent-minded professor'-type of person."

"Ah-hmm. I think Vice-Admiral Gordon handles all this stuff. He seemed competent to me."

"Admiral, I haven't seen your wife or your children around here", Arkyn turned his attention back to the voice of the Inquisitor, "May I ask where they are?"

Arkyn looked up to interface-window that showed a total of the ballroom, thanks to the security cameras and once again the hackers: Many of the guests had brought their family with them. Mostly wives, sometimes brothers, sisters or just the 'friends', like Mr Hevrin, chairman of the shipyards in the C'tau-system.

Pictures popped up, showing Arkyn a middle-aged, but still beautiful woman, a teenaged girl and a pre-teen boy, all having a strong resemblance. The names under the pictures told him that they were Dr Alissa Far-Glermin (47), Aurelia Glermin (16) and Tomas Glermin (10).

"Oh, my wife is still working on some of her weird projects at this hospital, and my kids? Well you know, they don't like all this 'imperial glamour'-stuff, as they would say it. They either spent the night with some friends or, in Tomas' case, are already asleep. At least I hope…" He finished with a thoughtful face.

The Inquisitor left the admiral in his thoughts, while he turned towards another person, but then he suddenly stopped.

"Commander Jex?" he asked.

Commander Jex was the commander of the FIRST-platoon, which had been stationed around the palace, unknown to the local forces. It was a pure overkill using high-trained commandos just to protect a party, but the Inquisitor had insisted on it.

"Inquisitor", the cool answer came. Commander Jex had been in contact with them the whole time.

"You should send a man or two to the museum. Something is going on there."

"Yes, sir."

"Maybe we should go, too." Tel suggested.

"No. You two are needed here. I have a strong feeling that we might need your expertise soon."

"Oh, right. Your gift of the foresight." Tel mocked. "Could you be a little bit more specific?"

"Unfortunately, no. It is more a feeling. A growing darkness. Just be ready."

"We will be." Arkyn said, also to encourage himself. He had a very bad feeling about this.

* * *

Cyphar – Middle Rim  
Outside the Imperial Palace – Shadows  
Evening

Commander Jex looked at the palace. He liked this building. It was located on a large rock/mountain in the center of the city. Once, it had been a giant gothic cathedral-palace-complex, home of an old royal family that ruled the planet for ages during the old republic. That was, until the Clone Wars, when the Separatist's Storm Fleet decided that Cyphar would be its first target. Despite the actions of some Republic Agents to delay the arrival of the Storm Fleet, the reign of this royal family had ended the same way the palace did: In a huge fireball. When the Empire took over, the ruins of the palace had been integrated into a new Coruscant-style transparisteel and ferrocrete building and the imperial fortress next to it, giving the new palace a really unique look.

The museum was located at the bottom of the mountain and had survived the attack of the Storm Fleet. It mainly focused on pre-Great Resynchronisation history, because of the New Sith War and Rakatan ruins in this sector. Commander Jex focused the building in his helmet-attached rangefinder.

"Sixtee! Frouron!"

The two commandos responded immediately.

"Take a look at the museum."

"Anything particular?" Fouron asked.

"No. Just keep your eyes open for anything suspicious."

"Yes, sir!"

The radar screen in his helmet showed two blips leaving their positions and heading toward the museum.

* * *

Cyphar – Middle Rim  
Dolkar Sector Museum for local History – Rakatan Exhibit  
Evening

Soon Ded was on guard duty this evening. His job was to walk through the museum, check all the room and alarm systems and then return to the camera control room to his co-guard and wait until it was time for another round. _Waiting, waiting, waiting…_ he thought _What guy would be interested in 30,000 year old alien technology? Nothings gonna happen… Which is good, by the way. Extra money for doing nothing._

He approached another room with Rakatan relics. Then he heard a strange sound. Sparkling or crackling. Like sparks. Electric sparks. He sighed.

"Al, I think we got another short. Room seven. I'll check it out." He said into his comlink.

No answer. _Asleep again…_ He yawned. _Soon it's my turn._

He moved closer to the sound. It came from a place he knew too well. The alarm-system. _Great. More Paperwork._ He found the control panel. Its light was off and in the middle of it was a fist-sized hole, surrounded by molten plastic. Inside lose cables released a small amount of white sparks. Now that was something that alarmed him.

"Al, wake up" he contacted his colleague, "We have an intruder! Call the security!"

No answer.

"Al Redided, you lazy _di'kut_! Call security immediately! This is extremely urgent!"

Then a loud thunder came from the darkness of room seven. Ded rushed around, pointing his glowrod and ELG-3A blaster into the darkness. He wasn't sure, but he had seen something moving in the shadows. He walked forward.

"You there! You're under arrest! I…"

He was never able to finish his sentence. An invisible hand lifted him from the ground. He wanted to scream, but no sound left his mouth. His back was twisted in an impossible angle, his hands eased and the blaster and luma fell on the ground. Then there was a silent 'crack' and a crushed body fell on the ground.

* * *

Cyphar – Middle Rim  
Dolkar Sector Museum for local History – Outside  
Evening

Aurelia Glermin was coming home from a busy and exciting disco night she had spent together with her to best friends. It was already late and she didn't want to worry her father with staying out longer than necessary. She just hoped she would reach her private quarters in the palace before someone would tag her to this stupid boring party. _Always smiling and chatting while everyone makes plans to stab a dagger in your back…_ She hated politics. She just sometimes attended to these events because of her father. _By the way, I'm not exactly dressed to fit in at such a 'party'._

Then it happened. Dill Gerik, one of her friends, slipped. He tried to hold himself at the main gate of the museum, but the gate gave away. Dill fell on the ground and the gate opened with a silent screech.

"Hey, since when is the museum open at this time?" Dill asked, getting up with the help of Aurelia.

"Look at the lock!" Lina, the other girl in the group said. She was standing at the old iron gate and had bend forward to take a closer look at the lock. "It's molten!"

"Hmm, looks like a break-in!"

"Oh, no, Aurelia" Dill said panicked, "Not now!"

"People might need our help! You two call the security, I'll check the museum!" With these words, the young girl vanished into the darkness.

"Wait it might be…" …_dangerous_, Dill wanted to say, but Aurelia was already gone. _It wouldn't have stopped her anyway!_

* * *

Cyphar – Middle Rim  
Dolkar Sector Museum for local History – New Sith War exhibit  
Evening

With caution, Aurelia sneaked through the empty halls. Now at night the museum definitely looked different than at normal visiting times. She just hoped she won't set of any alarm-systems. But on the other hand, whoever broke in here would have already disabled the alarms; otherwise the security would have been here long ago.

Another room. In the center there was a giant statue, showing the ancient Sith Lord LaTor, pointing his lightsaber directly in the sky. Aurelia tried to ignore the statue. Although the face was hidden in the shadows, invisible her eyes seemed to follow her movements. _Creepy…_

A dark figure suddenly landed behind her and only her experience in cheerleading, teräs käsi and other of her 'adventures' saved her from being slammed into the nearest wall. Instead, she rolled and tried to get some distance between her and her opponent.

"Who are you?", she asked.

_This is none of your business, girl!_ A voice said, coming from everywhere in the room but most intensive from inside her head! _Leave now and I'll spare your life!_

She put her hands at her temples, trying to get the voice away. "Get out of my head, freak!" she screamed.

The figure moved forward, Aurelia made a backflip on a show-case, avoiding a roundhouse-kick, then another one, as the figure jumped forward with a high double somersault and smashed the show-case to pieces as he landed on the place where Aurelia just had been.

Aurelia kicked away her high-heeled sandals and grabbed one of the ancient Sith-swords which had been in the show-case and now lay spread around in the room. She got on her feet again and came up in battle stance, ready to engage the enemy.

_Fine. If you want it this way._

No emotion. No regret. No hate. Just acceptance.

Aurelia's eyes grew wide as the figure stretched out his arm and a bright ice-blue blade appeared in his fist.

"You are a…" Aurelia gasped.

_Yes. And now you will die!_

* * *

Cyphar – Middle Rim  
Imperial Palace – Ball Room  
Evening

"You know, I'm actually happy you're here, Inquisitor." Vice-Admiral Gordon said.

"How so?" The Inquisitor asked, acting surprised.

"It seems to me that this sector has become a rebel hide-out. Small rebel fleets from all over the galaxy were heading to this place. Last week one of our outposts located a fleet of nine ships, including two MonCal-Cruiser. Nothing the sector-fleet can't handle, but we can't find them!"

"Really?"

"I did my best! But they literally vanished! No actions. Not even a small raid. I was able to identify some possible Rebel targets, but I can't go after them!"

"What's stopping you?"

"The Moff. He said the Rebels won't do anything as long as we leave them alone. What a lunatic! I can't defy his orders, you know, so I tried to lure the rebels out of their hiding by using, for example, un-escorted convoys. But the only thing I got was some second-rate pirates – No Rebels! It really freaks me out. But now you're here."

"And you suppose that I solve your problem?"

"Who knows? You could give me orders to hunt down these Rebels. You're a higher authority than the Moff. Or maybe you've got some hidden talents, he? But seriously: So many ships concentrated on one place and they still keep hiding – that can only mean one thing: Something big's going on. And now that you're, there must be indeed something big around here. They won't send and Inq for nothing!"

Loam smiled. "I hope I can satisfy your expectations."

The Admiral smiled back. "I hope so, too. Just think of me when you found a rebel fleet, hokay?"

"Maybe. If you would excuse me?"

"Of course."

Loam stepped aside before he continued to speak with a silent voice: "It's getting closer."

Arkyn answered: "The dark feeling?"

"Yes. Be prepared. It will start… NOW!"

A wand exploded. The people started to scream. Panic spread. One wall of the ballroom was gone and from the dust clouds and the darkness of the night, blasterfire filled the room. And above all was just one call: "LIBERATION!"

--End of Chapter 3--

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

-An Imperial Patrol Squadron is composed of six starfighters (often with hyperdrives) and a larger picket ship. Standard procedure is for the big ship and four starfighters to jump ahead, while the last two follow a short time later. I don't know if this is canon, but you can see this behaviour in _X-Wing: Alliance_.

-The Storm Fleet appeared in the Clone Wars novel _Storm Fleet Warnings_.

-LaTor was a Sith in the New Sith Wars. More on his doings in this Sector during this time will be revealed later, although it isn't much and not really important to the story.

-More important is the Rakatan exhibit. It'll play an important part later.

-Aurelia Glermin and her family are based on a certain cartoon series. Guess which one...

-The premonitions of Inquisitor Loam Redge are a little tricky. They're not accuarte visions, more feelings and they are extremly short time predicitons.

-The Rebels have made a move and attacked the palace. That's where the next chapetr will start. If you liked the story so far, feel free to leave a review.

-JCE1985


	4. Chapter 4

**Chaper 4 – Defender**

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector  
Dolkar Sector Museum for local History – New Sith War exhibit  
Evening

IC-367/41 or 'Fouron', as he was usually called, stepped forward, observing the room. Two dozen faces stared at him, their bodies in Sith armor, weapons in their hands. The room was dark, only the moonlight fell through the one large window that filled the complete wall opposite to the door and flooded the room with an intensive blue light. As he neared the center of the room, his fists clenched his Stormtrooper One blaster rifle even tighter. In a showcase in the middle of the room was the amulet of the long forgotten Sith Lord LaTor. He looked around. The man-sized plasteel dolls wearing the old Sith armor and weapons still looked at him. Their heads had turned; their lifeless eyes stared at him.

The amulet began to glow. A golden light like a small sun spread out, touching him and everything else in the room. He felt the desire growing in him. The amulet's radiation carved into his mind and wanted him to take this powerful relic, to possess it. The statues left their places and formed a circle around the amulet showcase, as its glow grew even larger. Unknown to Fouron, one of the statues stepped forward and raised its spear, ready to let it fall into Fouron's neck.

A loud crack came from the neighbouring room and immediately Fouron turned around. He kneeled down, his rifle aimed at the sound's direction, the door at the right wall of the room. The glow was gone, the statues stood at their rightful places like they had never been anywhere else.

_What a lunatic puts a Dark Side amulet in the same room with Dark Side armor?_ Fouron asked himself, shuddering. _That just screams for force-zombies!_

Still aiming, he went forward towards the door. Not putting away his view for even a second from his scope, he used one hand to press some buttons on the panel and within a blink of an eye the door disappeared in the wall. The neighbouring room was also filled with light, not only from the moon, but also from a source within the room. A blue flickering light and a sound which not long ago was heard throughout the galaxy as a sign of command and doom, a sound Fouron had heard more than once during his service for the Inquisitorius: The sound of a lightsaber!

A dark figure in a long black cloak was wielding the lightsaber. He was in combat with another person. Although he was hardly able to identify the dark figure, he had no such problem with its opponent: It was a teenaged human girl with shoulder-long black hair, wearing a turquoise dress, no shoes, wielding a Sith sword. The figure was silent. The only sound that came from him was the sounds of his lightsaber. The girl on the other hand; she coughed and screamed with every move. Fouron could almost _hear_ her breathing. She was fighting hard. For her life. In the nearly endless stream of somersaults, blocks, attacks and backflips it was obvious, that the girl was holding her ground, but that she was losing at the same time.

Fouron tried to keep target of the Jedi. He thought he was one – who else would attack a kid with a lightsaber – who else would attack a kid anyway – and he knew that neither the Inquisitor nor the Elites used blue lightsabers and that they came here to look for a Jedi. So what else could it be?

The Jedi attacked once more, disarming the girl. He spun around, hitting her face with his foot and then kicked her in the stomach to the ground. That was Fouron's chance: When the Jedi raised his sword to deliver the ultimate strike, he shot.

The bolt went through thin air exactly at the place where the Jedi's chest had been a moment before. Now he was standing two meters aside, facing the new threat.

_Blast! I knew it wouldn't be that easy!_ Fouron stepped forward, pressing the trigger twice and sending two new bolts towards the dark figure. The glowing blade moved and one was deflected towards the ceiling, the other one came straight back where it came from. Instinctively, Fouron dodged the returning bolt and rolled behind an undamaged showcase.

_What am I doing here?_ he asked himself. _I'm facing a Jedi who had possible wiped out an entire platoon of Jedi-Hunters. Alone. With one little blaster. Right…_ His fingers went to a switch at the rifle.

_single_ – _burst_ – **_auto_**

_I hope you stay down, girl._

Not even a whole second after he had rolled behind that showcase, he was on his feet again and released a nearly endless flow of red plasma towards his opponent. While moving he did the only right thing to do:

"Sixtee? Need a little back up over here!"

"That bad, hm? Okay, coming."

_I'm near panic and he so calm like I just invited him to a round of_ Mandalorian Iron II_! Now let's go on!_ The figure jumped from wall to wall, not deflecting the bolts anymore, just evading them. Fouron changed the channel.

"Commander, this is Fouron. I found our Jedi at the museum. Need back up! Now!"

"We're a little busy over here. Keep him occupied."

His fire stopped. _Already 100 shots? Man!_ The Jedi stopped immediately in his movements, seemingly surprised by the cease of fire. He jumped again, ready to smash his opponent, as Fouron finished reloading.

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector  
Outside the Imperial Palace – Shadows  
Evening – A few minutes before the attack

Commander Jex knew that something was not right even before he saw the ship. It was not that he was force-sensitive or something. It was just a growing bad feeling, coming from years of experience and growing paranoia.

The VAAT/e was a design predating the clone wars. But it was modified: Its thrusters were extremely silenced, had no lights and was painted deep black. Fliphand, the pilot, sitting at the controls of the _Flash_, detected the gunship first, as an 'unidentified object, flying fast directly towards the palace'. Mixer, saw it first, but only because his nightvision-mode of his helmet allowed him to do so.

When the ship entered the range of the palace's defence-guns and didn't turn and there was no activity on the com-channels or warning fire from the palace, he ordered his men to board the _Flash_. When the ship launched a missile directly at the palace and the palace's guns didn't show _any_ activity, the _Flash_ took off from its hidden spot.

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector  
Imperial Palace – Ball Room  
Evening – one moment after the impact

_Interesting, how your perception of time changes from one minute to the other._ The blast of the impact had shaken Arkyn alive. Now his full body was again under his command and he saw how the hole created by the explosion filled with blaster-wielding aliens as well as humans.

The room filled with panic. Arkyn could feel it. Dozens of men and women and children, young and old crying and screaming and running around, not knowing what's going on, where their beloved were. A sheer overwhelming feeling, trying to flood his mind, ripping away all what is left of control and concentration. But within the growing darkness, there where lights:

Tel Vynkar: A true darksider, his mind was in nearly constant rage and hard to control. Now this control was gone and the rage brought him towards his enemies. But there was something else: Determination. Arkyn concentrated on this determination to strengthen himself:

Loam Redge: Most Inquisitors were only lightsaber-wielding detectives, only a few were real fighters. Loam was not one of them, but he knew what to do. From his experience he boosted his own confidence.

General Max Roodan: Commander of the planetary garrison, he was a veteran of many battles. He was unarmed in his dress uniform, but he took the ceremonial blaster rifle of a dead guard and attacked the rebels.

The rebels screamed 'liberation' as they stormed through the hole, but it was pure terror. A full salvo of blaster fire filled the room. A couple of noble merchants as well as their son were cut down. A servant girl was hit in the back before she even recovered from the blast. A navy officer was hit directly in his face and was dead before he even hit the ground. Two guards were hit by Wookiee bowcaster projectiles.

Tel had already taken action: His double-bladed vibrosword sliced through the enemies. Now it was for Arkyn to stand: He resisted his temptation to draw his lightsaber, hidden under the robes of his royal guard disguise and instead also draw a double-bladed vibrosword. Two large blades emerged from the hilt while he jumped forward and landed just in time to deflect a blasterbolt directed at the Vice-Admiral and his wife. Then he turned and spun around, trying to protect the guests and other people which were still alive.

Terror was around him. People died. The death carved its way through the force and tried to break his mind. _Soresu – The way of the Mynock_. Arkyn remembered his training from Dromund Kaas. Any other person at his age might have panicked in such a situation. _Its ultimate goal is to achieve total protection._ But this wasn't his first firefight. His first _real_ firefight, but the training with the Prophets had been real enough for him. _It is a purely defensive form, requiring both patience and concentration._ And that is what prevented his fear to take over: Concentration. Patience. A deep darkness boiling in his inner heart, drawing strength from the dark side and feeding his soul with confidence, speed, agility and power. _By mastering this form you will not only achieve to make you invincible in combat, but it will also help you to protect those around you._

Although he and Inquisitor Redge, whose red lighsaber protected the Moff and the Admiral, tried to do their best, it was not enough: Arkyn overestimated his speed and was too late to save another servant girl: Her chest exploded as a projectile hit her. Another man died when he decided to save a family instead.

The guards in this room fired at the rebels, too. But it wasn't their fault that they couldn't help much: Most of them had limited shooting experience. Their blasters were only low-energy ceremonial rifles, not designed for fights. Only one guard had been a trained ex-security sniper, but he died even before the battle: the impact of the concussion missile had vaporised him instantly. General Roodan was the only one who achieved two deadly hits by targeting unarmoured body parts, before he was hit.

Vynkar felt the living and dying around him. Mostly the dying. He let the force flood his surrounding and augmenting his perception. He was in the middle of the enemies and was a twister of doom: A fast spun and the head of a rodian fell on the ground. A small step forward and his blade had found the chest of a Ferronian. He put the sword back and picked up a Sullustan with his second blade. Then he made somersault over a Wookiee, decapitating him and was now outside in the darkness of the night.

From the darkness, he felt two large lasers picking him up as a target. _Nothing I can't handle._ He prepared to jump when two concussion missiles, courtesy of the _Flash_ hit the VAAT/e and transformed it for a moment into a new sun. The shockwave put Tel on the ground and into the rubble. From his dizzy view he saw the remaining rebels jumping over him and vanishing into the darkness. He pulled together all of his strength and draw his DH-17 blaster and shot the last two rebels of the row in the head. _Ten down, eight to go!_

The ball room was a mess. Once shining and bright, it was now filled with dust, rubble, blood, death and body parts. Once the _Flash_ went down low enough to let the platoon out, Patcher and Mixer, the two medics of the platoon helped Arkyn, Redge and the emergency ambulance men to save those who were still alive, while the other commandos and Tel tracked down the remaining rebels.

* * *

Cyphar – Middle Rim  
Dolkar Sector Museum for local History – Outside  
Evening – A few minutes ago

Lina and Dill were waiting for the security they had just called. It seemed to be an eternity since their best friend went into the museum, which was – Dill insisted – haunted. Weird sounds and lights were heard and no wonder they totally freaked when a dark figure stepped outside the shadows behind them.

"What are you kids doing here?" the mechanized voice asked.

Both teenagers jumped up and shrieked

"Whoa! What are you?" Dill asked as he looked at the figure. It was nearly two meters tall, wearing a dark black Scouttrooper armor with a pauldron a bandolier and a _kama_ and a really big gun.

"IC-457/16. Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Lina, a dark-skinned girl, had just recovered from the shock, took a deep breath and started to tell their story. The soldier seemed to listen carefully – he didn't move while he stared at them through his green-glowing visor. Then he suddenly raised his hand as well as his head to demand silence. It seemed that he listened to something else. He shrugged and said: "Stay here and wait for the security." With these words, he vanished into the shadows.

"Like we are going to do anything else" Dill said.

After Sixtee left the kids where he found them, he entered the New Sith Wars exhibit in the museum. The local security forces were already on their way, he knew that due to a short check of the local com-channels. Fouron had called for help. This guy just couldn't stay out of trouble. It was easy to find him, his signal was still loud and clear.

He found him in the room of the Sith Lord LaTor. Fouron moved backwards, blasting in full auto at a dark figure with a blue lightsaber. The figure stepped forward, faster than Fouron, directly towards him, while deflecting the endless stream of blasterfire towards any direction in the room.

Sixtee sighed. _Here we go._ He aimed his DLT-19 blaster rifle and pulled the trigger. The Jedi, now confronted with blasterfire from two different directions jumped away. First to a wall, then to the ceiling. Fouron, boosted with confidence when his comrade arrived, reloaded his weapon with his last clip and moved to the opposite wall to engage the Jedi from the exact opposite direction as Sixtee did. Sixtee hadn't moved from the spot were he first had opened fire. He just stood there and interrupted his fire only for a moment for a shot of his under-barrel attached PLX-1m micro grenade launcher.

The grenade blasted the ceiling where the Jedi just had been. He jumped to the ground, then to a wall, followed by two other grenades. This time he landed directly in front of Sixtee. The fire stopped and the room went into silence. Sixtee's couldn't fire his blaster at this short distance and Fouron couldn't risk hitting Sixtee. Aurelia, back on her feet, seeing only the black-hooded back of the Jedi, throw her sword at him. Of course the Jedi sensed it, spun around and deflected the flying sword. Sixtee took the chance and tried to knock out the Jedi with his big blaster rifle. The Jedi dodged and jumped again in the air, followed by Fouron's blasterfire. Sixtee watched the Jedi flying, looking for the point where he would land, found it and shot a sonic grenade, hitting the spot a moment before the Jedi arrived.

The head of LaTor's statue exploded into splinter, dust and stones and sent the Jedi with a loud crash through a window into the night's darkness. Aurelia, Fouron and Sixtee got hit by the shockwave and hit the ground hard. The two commandos got up immediately and targeted the window, waiting for the figure to reappear.

But he didn't come.

He was gone.

Slowly, Aurelia got back on her feet, her ears ringing loudly. She saw the two armoured soldiers, still kneeling down, their rifles aimed at the smashed window. Her head ached, her feet were sore, cut by numerous glass and wooden pieces. Her hands ached, this… whatever it was had been strong. Each block had been pure pain. Sithblood, everything ached. It seemed that this time she bitten off more than she could chew.

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector  
Imperial Palace – Lower Levels  
After a short hunt

They finally tracked them down in a room under the palace. The room had two doors: One lead to a corridor now filled with inquisitorial commandos. The other one lead to ancient catacombs, built even before the old palace and a safe way to escape. Both doors were sealed: The first one by the rebels to prevent the imperials from getting them. The second one was sealed long ago by the palace administrators, because the catacombs were an extremely dangerous place. The rebel slicer tried to hack the second door's terminal, when the FIRST-slicer shut off the energy of the complete level.

"We have them now" Commander Jex said as he wandered with Tel through the dark corridor along his soldiers. "Want to take them out?"

"Sorry, Commander. Low profile. Your job."

"Okay. Do they have nightvisors?"

"What?"

"Do they have nightvisors? I need to know. Can you feel if they have some?"

_Feeling. Concentration. That's Arkyn's jobs for Xendor's sake!... Fine!_ He took a deep breath of filtered, dry air and tried to concentrate. Eight living beings. Fear. Hope. Relief. Anger.

_What do you see?_

One of them was familiar. A human. His head.

_What do you see?_

He concentrated on him. He got inside his head. No military secrets. No suppressed secrets. No long forgotten past. _I don't want to know these things._ Just your eyes.

_What do you see?_

He got it. Seven soldiers. A Wookiee, a Duros, a Human, Rodian… He saw them all. Their faces. Crystal clear.

"They have." He said.

"Good. Blocker: Lights on!"

A commando nodded and tipped on his datapad. _Lights back on?_ Tel thought with a doubt. _Well, he is the commander._ The lights in the corridor and the room went back on from one second to another. The high-tech nighvisions within the helmets adjusted immediately without bothering the commandos, but the rebels were not so lucky.

"Ghaa!" the rebel leader screamed and ripped his low light visor from his face. "What in the name of all nine corellian hells was that?" he growled as his soldiers did the same.

"The power is back on!" the Bothan slicer said.

"Then hack the door! Time to leave!"

Commander Jex stretched his arms and two DH-17 blaster pistols fell from the wide sleeves of his long coat he wore over his black stormtrooper armor into his hand. A commando with a large Stouker concussion rifle aimed at the door. He nodded to the slicer.

"Darkness, here we come!" the slicer said and the power was off again.

Commander Jex ran forward toward the door, blasters in his hand. Then he jumped and his feet hit the door at same time as the blast of the Stouker rifle and Jex flew into the room, 'surfing' on the door. The rebels panicked and filled the room with salvos of blasterfire, until they realized they hit nothing. Jex stood on the door and waited.

"Did we hit him?" a silence voice asked.

"I don't know. Where are my goggles?" another voice said.

"Sht! Listen!" a new voice demanded.

And they listened. Silence. Not even a whisper. Fear filled the room and suspense. No one wanted to say something. No one wanted to move. Even the breaths were a pain to take. It took one spark to ignite the cleaning fire.

"Hey, I found my goggles!" a light-hearted voice screamed into the silence, full of joy and childlike wonder.

Alternating the flash of two guns enlightened the room. Six shots and a howling Wookiee was nailed onto the wall. Two arms swung around in another angle, another six shots and the human leader died with a loud cry. The flashing illuminated a dark armoured figure with stretched arms in another angle. The guns died for a moment and arms and body swung again. When the guns spoke again, the figure was in another position and shot a Wroonian soldier. Six shots. Another swung, another salvo, another dead. And another, and another, and another.

The room was silent. Commander Jex stood still and waited. Slowly, his soldiers entered the room and examined the dead. The attack was over.

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector  
Dolkar Sector Museum for local History – New Sith War exhibit  
Evening

Finally, Fouron and Sixtee leaved their position and stopped targeting the window and put their attention towards Aurelia, who slowly got on her feet again. "Are you alright?" Fouron finally asked. _Stupid question_, Sixtee thought, _just look at her and you know the answer._

"Well… loosely speaking… yes." Her voice was shaking. No wonder, she may just have fought the fight of her life. "But I'll be Ok."

"We'll let the medics decide this." Sixtee said.

"So, who are you?" Fouron asked.

"Aurelia Glermin…"

"May see your ID, miss?" Sixtee interrupted.

She looked down at her tattered turquoise dress, which now loosely covered the most important areas of her body. "Which should be where?" she asked.

_Good question._

"So, why did you come in here at all?" Fouron spoke again, "Didn't it come to your mind that it might have been dangerous?"

Her face showed light amusement but also light resignation. "It wouldn't have been the first time", she spoke softly, "and… Helping other people, that's what I do."

The local security forces soon arrived, but the only thing they could do was to remove the dead bodies of the two nightshift guards. Aurelia's friends were happy to have their friend back but were also shocked to see in what shape she was. An ambulance treated her wounds while her friends comforted her.

However, she was not a person who could not lie still for a long time. Even before the medics were finished she wanted to help to identify the Jedi. The medics, of course, insisted to send her home and let her rest and even the security on-scene commander agreed at first, but after the two commandos took him aside and showed him a holo of the palace – where Aurelia and her family lived – he agreed that she didn't need more excitement this night and brought her to the department. Her friends accompanied her. It would be good to have some familiar faces around.

--End of Chapter 4--

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

-The Stormtrooper One blaster rifle is a SoroSuub clone of the BlasTech E-11.

-Mandalorian Iron II is my creation and a popular shooter computer game.

-The armor of the FIRST-platoon troopers is modified and personalized black scouttrooper and stormtrooper armor. Although this personalisation was surpressed in the beginnings of the Empire, it now coming back.

-The DLT-19 is a heavy blaster rifle. In my own canon, it has two setting: auto-fire with low-energy bolts against infantry and single shots with heavy bolts against larger targets like speeders.

-The PLX-1m is the same under-barrel grenade launcher used by the Clone Trooper in the Clone Wars Cartoon. Since the DC-15A and DLT-19 were both based on the real-life MG-34 it's only logical that the PLX-1m would fit on both of them

-VAAT/e stands for Variable Altitude Assault Transport/enforcement. It is a predcessor of the well-known LAAT of the Clone Wars and was used by civilians and law enforcement agencies.

-The shuttle of the Stormtroopers, the _Flash_, is a Sentinel-class assault craft. It was mentioned in Chapter 2 in the fleet list.

-The scene where Jex takes out the last Rebels is a reference to another favourite movie of mine. Guess wich one...

-The Stouker rifle is the Stouker Concussion Rifle from the Jedi Knight games.

-JCE1985

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

**Chaoter 5 – Plans**

Cyphar – Middle Rim  
Capital City – Parks  
Morning after the attack

Arkyn wandered through the park. He had been up all night long to help in the palace. After the shock and adrenaline had been gone, reality had claimed most of his thoughts and he had realised the mess around him. All the blood, the dead, the body parts… All of this _slaughter_ had been too much for him. He was glad he had brought up enough control long enough to leave the ball room and to find a remote toilet. It surely would have blown his cover if anyone would see a royal guard puking.

But now he wasn't a royal guard. Not even an Executor. He was just another normal person walking around in the parks and enjoying the peaceful warm summer morning. He wore civil clothes, not even his lightsaber, and even his ID would not reveal who he really was.

Here were no signs of the last night's attack. Although it had been reported on the news, no one here seemed to be bothered – on the outside. When he reached out with the force, he could feel the subtle fear. Thoughts, banned to the subconscious, not allowed reaching the surface. However, they _were_ there. And, from time to time, he could feel how these fears, despite all efforts, made their ways to the minds of the people:

A young mother watched their kids at the playground. Children had been under the victims at the palace, too. Knowing that such an attack could come again, anywhere at any time and that her children could be hurt, even killed, for no reason – for one second all she could think of was to grab her children and run home, caving in for the rest of their lives, never allowing something or someone to hurt them.

An older man walked by. He worked for a bank and was quite successful. What bothered him was not his life, but the life of his son. His son was already an adult man, grown up and has left his house, even this planet, years ago. He worked for COMPNOR as an organizer. Although they did not see each other very often, he still loved his son and he feared that his employment would make him a target.

These fears were not spoken out aloud. They were not allowed to come out. All what they did were to create an atmosphere of fear. Hardly to see with the bare eye, but for a force-sensitive man like him, the fears filled the air, made it thick and hard to breath.

Arkyn watched over the scene. It was a peaceful scene. What he saw were people. Normal people. They wanted to live their lives, in peace. What he saw were average citizens on their ways to their jobs. What he saw were children, too young to go a school yet, enjoying their lives. What he saw were security officers, walking by and ensuring safety. What he saw, in the background, were the skyscrapers of the centre, numerous speeders filling the grey sky. What he saw were _civilisation_ and _culture_.

_So this is it what this is all about._ He walked back to his speeder. _This is what the Empire had achieved: Peace._ As he walked by, there was a young woman sitting on a bench. Her fears were open, her grief was not hidden. Her best friend died this evening ago. All evil she did for the Empire had been to take the part-time job offered by the palace as a servant to earn some extra-credits. Just for this one party organized to greet some core world visitors. Just for this one party that had been the target of the Rebellion. Just because of this party that servant girl was now a burned corpse. Just because of this party this young woman had lost her best friend and was now grieving in the park. Arkyn walked by and left the park.

_This is what the Empire had achieved: Peace. And this is what the Rebellion wants to take away from us._ He took a final view over the parks and the cityscape. _Peace, stability, order, culture, civilisation…_ He found his speeder where he parked it. _Our culture and our civilisation. This is it what the Rebellion wants to destroy: A just life that everyone wants with family and friends._ He opened the door and sat into the speeder. _I'll never let that happen!  
_

* * *

Cyphar – Middle Rim  
Capital City – 72nd Street Supply Depot  
Early Afternoon

From the outside, it was a normal warehouse in the industrial region of the capital. It was owned by one of the local companies and – except for some signs on the walls – there were no special signs. The walls and roof were made of cheap materials and it was located in a remote side street so no one ever spent a second thought on this building.

However, what nobody knew was that the company that owned this building was fictive firm of the Imperial Intelligence. What also nobody knew was that there was a hidden landing pad for a large shuttle within the main storeroom. What also nobody knew was that beneath the cheap surface, the most powerful and effective hacking and screening technology had been installed. What also nobody knew was that this warehouse was now the base of operations of the 7./926th FIRST-platoon.

In the second floor, there was a small storeroom, only accessible by an old elevator, currently guarded by two FIRST-commandos, each one armed with a Stormtrooper One blaster rifle. Inside this room was a table and on the table was a small holoprojector.

An ageless man was sitting at one end of the table. His species and age was unknown, although he appeared as a human man in his thirties, but his position was that of an imperial Inquisitor. By his side was Lox, the bulky Mark-XI-Executioner gladiator droid. Since the incident in the palace, the droid had insisted on staying at the Inquisitor's side. At one of the table's side was sitting another young man: Young and with a promising career in Imperial Intelligence, dressed in a black imperial uniform, Lieutenant Jaios Caybasi. Next to him, still in his Stormtrooper armor, but with his helmet taken off, Commander Jex had taken place. Behind him stood two of his Commandos, Fouron and Sixtee, the two who had fought the Jedi last night. Opposite to Lieutenant Caybasi was sitting a tall young man with black hair and blue eyes. He was dressed completely in black: Black boots, black trousers, black shirt and a black leather jacket. His name was Tel Vynkar.

The elevator door opened and Arkyn Medor, dressed like Tel, stepped into the room. He took his seat and after a moment, Inquisitor Loam Redge started to speak.

"Well, Gentlemen", the Inquisitor begun, "from the events of the last night we can be sure that we have a Rebel cell in this Sector…"

"How obvious…" Tel mumbled.

"…and a renegade force-user, presumable a Jedi."

"A very good force user." Jex said. "Judging from the show he pulled off in that museum last night, he might be responsible for the disappearance of Commander Loco's platoon."

"Two of your man scared him away", Tel said, "That doesn't sound like would be able to kill thirty other men of your kind"

"We surprised him last night. He didn't expect to have resistance from a local teen and two commandos, especially when he had a diversion at the palace. Loco on the other hand might have walked into a trap. Also, his platoon had little experience and he used to rely too much on his droids."

"Back on the topic, my warriors", Inquisitor Redge interrupted the discussion. "We have a lot to discuss. Lieutenant Caybasi."

The Lieutenant stood up and started typing on his datapad. The room darkened and the holoprojector sprung to live, projecting several images, diagrams and text pages in the air.

"Let's start with the raid", Caybasi said with his neutral voice. "At first, it seems like a random terrorist attack, but there was much more behind it. We should notice that all of the sector's military and civilian leaders had been present. The sudden death of all of these people would have resulted in a not to underestimating destabilisation of this sector's economics, social stability and order."

"The results are already visible", Inquisitor Redge added, "Alrik Hevrin, chairman of C'tau-III's shipyards was among the dead. The board of directors is currently trying to select a successor, but the damage has already been done: His death resulted in a sudden fall of stocks and the cancellation of several civilian treaties. Several hundred jobs are in danger now. Imagine this on a sector-level."

"The most important part of the attack was that the palace's defence system had been deactivated manually, not by sabotage, which let to the assumption of one or more rebel spies in the palace.

Local authorities, ISB and Intelligence have their investigations running. We assume the Jedi and the Rebellion are working together, so we will step in, collecting all available data from the different sources, start investigations on our own, until we can pin them down. The FIRST-platoon will split up and team up with Intelligence Operatives from the _Citadel_ and _Maiden_. The teams will follow leads and hopefully gathering useful intelligence.

Some of the pictures got highlighted. "The local authorities could identify all terrorists. All were part of the planetary non-human minority. According to the dossiers, all had been students of political science at the local university. Probably radicalized and recruited by the local Rebel cell.

The human leader is a local merchant running an import-export company. More on him later. Operatives Gold and Jettis and Commando 'Teeker' will work together with local authorities on the 'personal' files. If needed, the shuttle _Black-1_ is at their disposal.

The two Wookiees were interesting. DNA analysis says they are siblings. According to the genetic material, they're descendents of the infamous Trybokk. He was a worker at the C'tau shipyards until he started a revolt among the Wookiee worker crews and became a pirate. Shortly after Endor, he and his group vanished. The presence of his sons might indicate that his group joined the rebels – a logical choice, given his hate of the Empire. They had also been present at several terrorist attacks in the neighbouring sectors during the last two years, mostly as leaders, trainers and recruiters. Their job here might have been the same. Operative Farrell and Commandos 'Simple' and 'Fliphand' will take _Omicron-1_ and start their investigation on the planets where the Wookiees had recently showed up.

The human leader was Janus Hretick. Local authorities found his company 'closed' this morning. Employees and recent activities will also be covered by the team Gold, Jettis, Teeker. Offworld trading partners and shipping activities will be the job of Operatives Flit and Lopas and Commandos 'Countdown' and 'Blocker'. They are assigned to _Omicron-2_. A good start would be the planet Beldrek."

The VAAT/e (Variable Altitude Assault Transport/enforcement) is another interesting fact", Caybasi continued, highlighting the schematics of the ship, "Fourtunately", he said in a sarcastic tone, "the _Flash_'s sensors could identify the ship before it was destroyed."

"It was attacking the palace!" Commander Jex commented, "I had no choice!"

"What about your ion cannon?" Caybasi sarcastically replied. Jex didn't say anything and Caybasi continued, again in his neutral voice. "Anyway, the ship was 'officially' converted into an orbital cargo ferry for the same import-export company. We have seen these 'conversion'. Operative Raum and Commandos 'Fouron' and 'Sixtee' will pay a visit to the shipyard that made these modifications on the planet Ghart. You will take _Lambda-2_."

"Yay! Fun in the garage", Fouron interrupted the speech, "And I can't wait!"

"May I continue?" Caybasi asked, visibly annoyed. "The weapons the Rebels used were, except for the Wookiee's bowcasters, Merr-Sonn IR-5 blaster pistols. An ideal weapon for this kind of attack: slightly less powerful than a standard blaster but an extreme high rate of fire. They were stolen from a weapon transport two months ago in a neighbouring sector. Operative Adam and Commandos 'Howler' and 'AK' will start from there. They're assigned to _Lambda-1_."

A schematic of the museum appeared, together with the diagrams of several small freighters and the pictures of other people.

"Now for the raid of the museum: the attack on the palace attracted almost the complete security forces of the Capital City, leaving the museum open for a raid. The forces that ultimately arrived at the museum were forces drawn from the palace's force. This diversion allowed our renegade Jedi to escape almost unnoticed with the stolen artefact, despite our interference."

"Don't forget this girl", Fouron interrupted again, "She was one tough fighter!"

"Who is this girl anyway?" Tel asked.

"Maybe I can help." Caybasi brought the conversation back to him. With his datapad he manipulated the holoprojector again. A figure of a young teenaged girl appeared in the air. "This is Aurelia Glermin, age sixteen. Daughter of the famous scientists Professor Admiral Heran Glermin and Dr Alissa Far-Glermin. A-class student and athlete, involved in several volunteer activities, including cheerleading, martial arts… Nearly Everything the COMPNOR SA-Group has to offer.

She usually gets involved in plots by the local crimelords, which she helps to bring to an end. Her best friend usually helps her, his name is…" He skimmed through his datapad. "…I can't find it right now, but it got to be here somewhere…"

"Sounds like a force-sensitive, if you ask me" Tel added, leaning back.

"She isn't", Fouron said, "I scanned her last night."

"Hmm. A pity." Redge said with an acted sad voice. "She sure is a beauty."

"Why am I relieved to hear that?" Tel said remembering Redge's chambers on Prakith

"Back to the robbery", Arkyn spoke again, "What was stolen?"

Aurelia's hologram disappeared and was replaced with the picture of a strange artefact. It was a small stone plate with a U-shaped handle on one side and three sticks one the other. Each stick had a different length and was carved with strange runes.

"Except for the stuff you blow up, this was the only thing reported missing. It is called 'Rakatan artefact C-2249' or 'key'. It is supposed to unlock the doors to a place where a relict, called the 'Eye of the One' is supposed to be hidden. However, neither this 'theory' has yet to be tested."

"So this 'Eye' might be an ancient superweapon or just another old relict" Redge said. "At this point, everything is pure speculation."

"Operative Telvin is assigned to this task. He will start at the museum, but if needed, _Black-2_ is assigned to him.

"The teams have their missions" Caybasi spoke again. "The rest of the platoon and the operatives will split up on _Omicron-3_ to _6_ to provide backup for other teams if needed."

The holograms of three capital ships appeared, the _Unwritten__ History_, _Caleidoscope_ and _Generatión_. "During the last years since Endor, there had been no significant large-scale Rebel activity. They tended to strike against low-level targets, mostly to stock up their supplies or to increase the fear among the population. The attack on the palace was the first strike against a high-level imperial target in years. This seems to indicate a shift in their strategies and leads to the suspicion that they have finished rebuilding and that the strike against another larger target is imminent.

We must show them that they can't use this sector as their personal playground. While our Intelligence specialists are doing their jobs, it is upon our Elites to do theirs. Vice-Admiral Gordon has given us a list of possible Rebel hideouts. You two will take our ships and hit these targets and try to find the Rebel HQ."

"Cool", Tel said, leaning back, "Some action."

"I suggest, my warriors", Redge added, "That you coordinate your 'tour' with Vice-Admiral Gordon. He can't wait to finally kill some traitors."

"When there are no questions left", Caybasi begun to close his speech, "We can begin to back up our words with some actions."

"What about this Jedi?" Arkyn asked. "I mean, we came here just for him. What are we going to do?"

"Unfortunately", Caybasi replied, "We have no trace where he might have gone to. We are not even sure if he is still on the planet. Cyphar is a major hyperspace knot. Finding one person among all this traffic is nearly impossible. Local forces are keeping an eye open for anything suspicious, but at the moment, the best way to find him is via the Rebellion."

"I have one", Commander Jex said, "You said there might be some Rebel spies in the palace. What about them."

Redge spoke again: "I have volunteered for that task, my Commander. It might be an interesting… game."

* * *

Reltek-Nebula (Asteroid 773) – Dolkar Sector  
Secret Rebel Base – Council Chambers  
Same time

Deep in a nebula in an abandoned asteroid mining base, the rebels had installed their current headquarter. One of the many chambers inside the asteroid was only accessible from one door and this door was currently guarded by two Uulshos Justice Droids, each one armed with a Valken-38 blaster rifle. Inside this chamber, there were three desks. Two were arranged like a wide opened V. The other one, slightly larger than the other two, stood in the open end of the V. In the middle of this rough triangle there was a holoprojector.

A middle aged man was sitting at the middle of the larger desk, flanked by an older male Twi'lek and an intimidating Stenax. They formed the Triumvirate, the current leadership of the Rebellion. At the other desks were sitting a FLTCH-droid, a middle aged woman, a Wookiee and a Bothan. They formed the Rebel Council, each one representing another branch: Jedi, Navy, Army and Intelligence. These seven persons had gathered to discuss the future of the galaxy.

"Aggressive demand: My children are dead!" the HK-50 protocol droid next to the Wookiee Trybokk translated, "I want revenge!"

"We understand your feelings", Irenez, the Corellian woman and Navy Representative said "But revenge is not our path."

"We don't throw our lives away in an outburst of anger." That came from Nextor, the FLTCH-droid and Jedi Representative.

Trybokk bend forward and swirled with his fist in the air while he howled something in his Wookiee speech. The translation followed. "Rethoric Question: Don't throw lives away? It was one of your Jedi that had sent them into death. It was a suicide mission."

"Master Aqinos and the council never agreed on this mission", was the calm reply of the droid.

Trybokk was not pleased with this answer. His howling became more aggressive. "Reminder: But he did it. Now my children are dead. I want revenge or me and my group will leave this council."

"And you will get your revenge." Iran Kalamar, the human Triumvir said.

"What?" Irenez protested, "This is outrageous and irresponsible! If we allow that our actions are let by revenge, we are not better than the Empire!"

"We shall not forget what the Empire did to our children!" Iran said. "Do I have to remind of Alderaan? No, this time there will be no mistakes. We will fight fire with fire!"

"The Empire has enslaved my daughter!" Boc, the old Twi'lek Triumvir said, "I'll never see her again and Trybokk is now facing the same fate. I can fight to avenge her death every day and I say Trybokk deserves the same!"

"Agreed!" Both Iran and Tailamur, the Stenax, said.

Trybokk seemed to calm down a little bit. "Suggestion: Then I'll leave immediately. They'll regret that they will be born."

"I think you should wait." Tav Breil'lya, the Intelligence Representative, suggested.

Trybokk looked up. "Confused question: What?"

"They will be on their guard right now." The Bothan continued. His voice was calm and softly – A silent purring. "They will probably strike against us. Some arrests and some executions, to keep their superiors calm. We have to be prepared. Striking now will end a same disaster like the last assault."

"Expecting question: What do you suggest?"

"That we pick our target with caution. A symbolic target, maybe an event. Maybe not right now, but in the near future."

Trybokk slammed his fist on the table. "Hateful demand: I want to see blood."

"One thing does not exclude the other", Breil'lya continued, no intimidated by this gesture. "All I suggest is to be careful. Everything will be better than running into certain death."

"A wise answer, Councillor." Iran seemed to be happy. "I'll personally find this target for our allies!"

Trybokk's answer was a silent growl, yet not less hateful. "Reminder: I'm not a patient Wookiee, Kalamar. I give you a standard day, not more."

* * *

Reltek-Nebula (Asteroid 773) – Dolkar Sector  
Secret Rebel Base – Triumvirate private chambers  
A few hours later

The private chambers of the triumvirate were at a special location. The only way to get to them was over a long corridor. This corridor was tiled with white ceramic tiles and rumours said it was filled with death traps. The private chambers contained the living and office rooms of the three leaders of the Rebellion: Iran Kalamar, Boc Seclam and Tailamur.

Iran Kalamar scrolled over the datapad. He had found a perfect target for Trybokk. A – more or less – symbolic way to remind the Empire of the price of its tyranny.

The door to his office opened and Stygium walked in. He was one of around a dozen of droids that the old Jedi Aqinos had lived with in his retreat on Dweem. The droid claimed to be a 3PO-unit, but in Kalamar's mind he looked a little bit odd to be one. Maybe he had been modified. _Wouldn't be that unusual._

"Triumvir Kalamar", the droid said, "Councillor Irenez wishes to speak you."

_What a surprise_, he thought. "Let her in."

As soon as the door opened, the grey-haired woman stormed into the room "What were you thinking?"

"I don't see any problems." Kalamar said with a calm voice.

"You can't be serious! You just authorised this crazy Wookiee a personal crusade! When I joined the rebellion I thought we would fight for the greater good. How long will it last until everyone uses the rebellion as an excuse for his personal goals?"

"Why can't it be the other way around?

Irenez stopped in her tirade and her anger had been replaced with confusion. "What?"

"What you say is true, we always be careful about this. But why can't we use all these 'personal energies' and turn them against the Empire?"

"Tell that to the Wookiee!"

"I will. And I have found an ideal target for him. People will die, so Trybokk will be satisfied. It has a symbolic character, so our dear Bothan will be happy, too. Tell me what you think." He handed her over the datapad. She took a brief look.

"You can't be serious!"

"I am."

"But this is a civil target!"

"It's a COMPNOR-target. So it is an imperial target!"

"But all these people…"

"…Will die because of the Empire!" Kalamar finished her sentence in anger. "We lost at Endor because the people, the simple people, didn't support the Rebellion. We have to show _them_ that it doesn't pay to support the Empire. We have to bring the fight towards them so that they see the evil of the Empire. We can't win in a giant spacebattle! Once we succeed, the people will rise all over the galaxy! My children died on Alderaan and Endor and I won't let their death be for nothing! When everyone will feel like I am feeling, then they'll see the Empire's evil, then they'll think twice before they support the Empire!"

Irenez was shocked. "You are a madman! You can't…"

"I am council triumvir of the Rebel Alliance", Kalamar interrupted her. "What I do is for the greater good of the galaxy! And you should ask yourself if you are really on our side! When you are not for us, you are against us. Do you understand?"

Irenez nodded, visibly shaken. "Yes, triumvir, I understand."

"Good. You may go now."

As the door closed behind her and she was in the long corridor, she found councillor Tav Breil'lya leaning against the wall. "How did it go?" he asked.

"I need to talk to the Commander." That was all she could say.

"Of course. This way."

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector  
Hidden Rebel Base – Private Quarters  
Same time

_Things had gone wrong. He hadn't expected the soldiers attacking the palace to survive, that had only been a bonus. But he had expected them to do at least _something_. The majority of the Sector's leaders were still alive – even the Deep Core visitors. Of course, the Council was furious. They wouldn't be if his soldiers had been more successful. _

_Trybokk, that old walking carpet. It was a sure bet that he had brought the Council against him. Old freak! As a former slave he should understand the meaning of the word 'sacrifice'. Now his master had called him back. Ha, _Master_. He was no longer a Padawan. Not any more, not since his Master and his Knights had started this new order. Not since he had been babysitting these children to train their little talents._

_Maybe he should return to the academy. Act like a good little soldier and obey the orders. He would have to leave this planet anyway. Yes, the academy was as good as any other place. He had the key. He would have to organize an expedition. Yes, the academy was good._

--End of Chapter 5--

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

-This chpater was less Action-heavy than the other ones, but necassary for the story nonetheless. We get a little more insight into the Rebellion and the aftermath of the attack.

-Both the Empire and the Rebellion have plans. What these plans are in detail will be revealed in future chapters, as well as the secrets of the Rakatan artefact.

-The Valken-38 blaster rifle was also used by bounty hunter Dengar in The Empire strikes back

-JCE1985


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 – First Steps**

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector

Imperial Palace – Entrance

Late Afternoon

Inquisitor Loam Redge walked towards the palace, behind was Lox, his loyal bodyguard droid. His two warriors – Tel and Arkyn – and some of the other navy guys had stayed behind at their planetary base to plan their 'tour' through the sector. Commander Jex with his commandos had returned to the _Indigo Maiden_ to follow the trails from the palace assault. Redge's job now was it to find the rebel traitor in the palace.

He walked up the giant stairs towards the main gate. These stairs, along with the guarding columns and the statues between them were still remnants of the old, original palace that had been destroyed during the Clone Wars. The entrance however was clearly a new structure, built by the Empire in Coruscanti-style.

Two guards stood next to the main door. The main complex was a block of transparisteel with a ferrocrete structure inside that connected the two side wings of the palace. The ferrocrete structure inside the tranparisteel cube was smaller than the cube itself, but still ten stories tall. The two guards greeted him when he walked through the automated door. They were nervous. _Quite understandable, when you know that rebels were sneaking around everywhere, ready to strike at any moment._ They were angry. _Quite understandable when you know that some of their comrades died yesterday evening. _

He arrived at his quarter. A wide room, very comfortable and luxurious, suited for a VIP from the core. A servant girl was already awaiting him. When Redge entered the room, she bowed down and handed him a holodisc. "This was delivered for you, Inquisitor", she said.

Redge took the disc without a word and put it into a projector. After identifying himself, Redge was shown a message from Lieutenant Caybasi.

"Greetings, Inquisitor", the holographic Lieutenant said with a light bow, "I have further news about the attack. According to the palace's databank the sensor and security grid went offline exact one moment before the VAAT/e would have been shot down.

The security system and of the imperial fortress next to the palace are linked together as one system. This system can be controlled from any computer console in the palace, as long as you have the master control password. According to the databank, this password was used. I thought this might be important. Caybasi out." The hologram vanished.

There was a moment of silence until the servant girl, still bowed down, spoke. "Do you need me for anything else?"

Redge thought for a moment. _Time to start the game._ "Yes, my young servant, there might be something", he said, turning away from the projector, "Bring me the persons in charge for yesterday's security. That would be Captain Rymson and Commander Hevor."

A short time later both officers were standing in the room, together with Redge, Lox and the servant girl. Redge wasted not time. Captain Rymson had one arm in a gash – he had been near the ball room when the attack had happened.

"As you already know, my soldiers", Redge said, "The main password was used to shut down the security. The question is: How could the Rebels acquire this password?"

"Not by hacking, that's for sure", Rymson said. "The security computer system is isolated from the outside."

"And it can't be accessed from inside the palace, except from those who know it", Hevor added, "Otherwise there would be an alert and the password had to be changed."

"No system is completely safe, my soldiers", Redge said again, "But let's assume that was the case, who did know of the password?"

"The password is renewed at the beginning of every shift" Hevor explained, "It is only known to the current shift leader and his direct replacement. That would be me and Captain Rymson."

"Did you give the password away?" Redge asked. Then he reached out with the force into the minds of the two officers. He reached down and awaited their answer, probing it for anything suspicious.

Hevor's answer came instantly: "No, Sir."

Redge allowed himself an inner smile. _He is honest. Strong-willed. There is not one doubt in his mind, consciously or unconsciously. Not a sign of manipulation or betrayal. He is not the spy or leak I'm looking for._

Rymson's answer was supposed to come straight, too: _No._ But before the word slipped his lips, there was a doubt. Deep within Rymson's mind there was a doubt. He was sure he didn't give it away – why should he? But there was a doubt. Redge found this doubt. The Inquisitor went deeper within the Captain's mind and came to his memories. Memories of the not so distant past – yesterday. He saw his memories. He saw the captain leaving home, coming to the palace, taking over his shift in the security control center… Everything in a straight order – Highs and lows of the day, jokes of his comrades, stories of their families and the usual non-eventful control walks.

Then it happened. Redge fell into a deep hole. The memories of the Captain were interrupted with such a brute force and then there was… nothing. An endless deep black hole. An eternal darkness like Rymson had stopped to exist. He had been ripped out of existence… Redge had gone too far. This darkness that had consumed Rymson will now start to consume him and like the Captain he will fall, too…

_NO!_ Redge thought. The first shock of surprise was gone. _He hadn't ceased to exist at this moment. Only his memories did._ It wasn't the first time Redge had seen something like that. Deep within the dungeon of the Citadel Inquisitorius, when he had probed the minds of the prisoners… _The manipulation of thoughts. Erased memories. Reducing the victims to a lobotomized mumbling creature… But the Captain… Only some moments had been erased. The moment he gave the password away!_ Now that he had found what he was looking for, he started to dig deeper. He did not longer 'fear' the darkness in Rymson's mind – he embraced it.

_To erase thoughts permanently, you have to be careful. You cannot trick the human mind that easily. This was the work of an amateur._ The conscious mind had forgotten that something was missing, but the subconscious hadn't. The hole in the stream of memories hadn't been fixed. A simple human mind like Rymson would just think that he had forgotten something – he would shrug and go on. _But for someone who is connected to the force…_ Redge smiled internally. _A force user within the palace… Maybe our mysterious Jedi? That sounds interesting._ He started to dig deeper. Within the black hole of darkness, there was a center. The center – a presence left by the intruder. Redge found it. No images, no names, no voice. Only a presence – and it was definitely _female_.

He dismissed the two officers. He had gotten all the things he wanted. He also dismissed the servant girl. He didn't need her for now. When she left, there was a wave of relief coming from her, as if a hurdle had been taken. _A relief to get away from the spooky Inquisitor? Maybe…_ He reached out with the force. _No, there is something else. About something other… She has a strong presence. Is it possible…_ She had already left the room, wandering along the hallway. Redge followed her, starting to search her mind from his room. He found the inner knot that existed in every mind. _A place, where the basic instincts and memories had been locked. He tried to break into this knot. There was nobody who would notice such a probe, but certain persons… _

Suddenly, he found himself pushed back by an instinctively push of telekinetic force. A basic reflex, activated by his intrusion. The girl wouldn't have noticed anything, her conscious mind was too busy to notice something like this. Redge got on his feet again and smiled. _The game is now on a new level. This will be very interesting.  
_

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector 

Capital City – 72nd Street Supply Depot

Same Time

The Inquisitor had gone, like Jex and all the others. The only persons left in the small briefing room were Tel and Arkyn. The holoprojector on the table showed a map of the sector, the diagrams of the _Generatión_, _Unwritten History_ and _Caleidoscope_ and the small figures of two humans and one Vultan, the Captains of the ships: Captain Morgos, Captain Goorn and Captain Tasgor. Bright, yellow blinking points on the map, connected with a white line, showed the planned route and targets.

"I have seen the list and the route you're planning to take" Captain Morgos said, looking at his own map, "but it is dangerous."

"How so?" Tel asked.

"I think I know what you mean", Arkyn said, following the route with his finger. "The route starts at the sector capital and goes in a spiral-shaped away towards the borders of the sector."

"It's effective!" Tel said, seemingly upset. He had plotted the route for their little 'tour'.

"But it makes us predictable" Captain Morgos added, "At one point the rebels will expect our arrival and lay a trap for us."

"Okay, okay", Tel said defensively. "I'll make a new route."

"Wait, Tel" Arkyn had a new idea. "Maybe we can use that for our advantage."

Tel and the captains looked expectantly.

"We want the rebels to come out of their hidings, but these are only small targets" Arkyn typed on his datapad, loading data from the computers. "We need to find the head of the snake. I found something onboard the _Indigo Maiden_ that might be helpful." The sector map disappeared and the projection of a small box with four arms appeared. Under it, the technical description appeared in white letters.

"One of Zsinj's toys." Tel commented.

"Yes." Arykn said. "We can modify some missiles to carry them instead of a warhead, preferable Diamond Boron Missiles. With the impact they won't detonate but release the droid into the ship."

"But we have neither the capacities nor the opportunities to deploy them at the right time." Captain Morgos said, "Let alone Diamond Boron Missiles!"

Arkyn thought for a moment. _No, we don't have the capacities, but someone else has…_ "Contact Vice-Admiral Gordon", he ordered, "I think he will be interested."

* * *

Jumina – Dolkar Sector 

Slums – Abandoned Storehouse

Tour: 1 day, 12 hours (Early Evening)

"I don't know what these guys have against us!" Fliphand shouted as rolled back into his cover. Blasterfire came down from nearly every direction and carved into the barrels and iron bars he and Simple used as cover.

"Maybe they don't like black!" Simple sarcastically shouted back, referring to their black Scout Trooper armor. Jumping out of his cover, he tossed a flash detonator together with a smoke grenade at the direction of their enemies. When they had arrived at the planet, Farrell, Simple and Fliphand had identified this storehouse as a possible Rebel recruitment center. They had wanted to capture the local leader alive, but due to a series of unfortunate events, the whole Rebel cell was now shooting at the two Commandos. They were lucky that these Rebels had a bad aim. _Maybe coming through the main entry wasn't a good idea after all._

The grenades detonated, both Commandos jumped up and fired. Simple had his Stormtrooper One blaster rifle set on burst fire. He targeted one Rebel, fired a three-bolt-burst and turned to the next one, firing again. Fliphand did the same. Then Fliphand noticed a person running on one of the catwalks. Diving behind another barrel, he flipped down the rangefinder on his helmet and targeted the person. His computer identified the person as the presumed leader of the local cell.

"Fliphand to Farrell", he said via comlink, "Target is en route to back entry, repeat: en route to back entry!"

"This is Farrell, copy that." was the reply.

The door of the back entry was kicked open and the Rodian leader ran outside. But before he could even take more than one step, a plasteel-armored elbow hit his throat, sending him flying backwards. His eyes turned to the green-clouded sky of the heavy-industrialised world, but before he hit the ground, Farrell hit the still flying alien with a roundhouse kick, smashing him into the durasteel wall. Intelligence Operative Farrell gave the screaming Rodian another kick in the stomach, shutting him. He punched him in the face before he brought his SE-14r blaster pistol at the chin of the leader.

"Hokay", Farrell said, bringing his face close to the alien's, "Now, some answers!"

* * *

Remand-System (Asteroid belt) – Dolkar Sector 

ISS _Generatión_ – Bridge

Tour: 1 day, 16 hours

Arkyn and Tel were standing on the Bridge of the Strike Cruiser, next to Captain Morgos. He was an inconspicuous man with the mentality of a pirate. When Arkyn watched out of the main bridge window he could see the _Unwritten History_, the other Strike Cruiser, flying left above the _Generatión_. The _Caleidoscope_ was flying above the two ships. All starfighters and shuttles had been launched, together three squadrons and seven shuttles.

"According to the imperial records" Captain Morgos said, looking at a datapad, "The Remand Asteroid belt might host a Rebel raiding outpost in one of the former asteroid mines. The Vice-Admiral has picked up the three most probable places. What are your orders?"

Tel and Arkyn looked at each other. That was a good question. As Elites they were supposed to be military leaders. But how do lead a battle when you have no battle experience – not in those kinds of battles.

You could rely on what you have learned. Experience will come with time… and blood.

"Nothing fancy, Captain" Arkyn said, "Standard tactics. What is the closest target?"

"Asteroid R-23C."

"Good. Beta and Gamma Squadron will attack from above, followed by the shuttle groups Nova and Techno. Alpha, Kappa and ST66 will escort the capital ships. We will follow the starfighters from above with seventy-five percent speed."

"Aye, Sir."

The battle, if could call it one, was unspectacular. The Xm-1s from Gamma Squadron fired three close volleys of concussion missiles, and then the asteroid cracked up. While Gamma was reloaded by the Combat Utility Vehicles of shuttle group Techno, the two cruisers destroyed nearby smaller satellite bases.

"One down, two to go!" was Tel's comment.

The second asteroid base was the winner: When the starfighters – this time Alpha and Gamma Squadron – came close to the asteroid, the giant hangar gates opened and released a swarm of rebel fighters: Eighteen X-Wings, four Y-Wings, six CloakShape fighters and a light Rendili corvette.

The X-Wings headed towards the Defenders, while the CloakShapes escorted the Y-Wings towards the cruisers. Tel ordered Beta Squadron to leave its defensive position around the cruisers and to intercept the bombers and its escorts. Arkyn was standing at the starfighter command station. "Gamma, split up to flights and attack the corvette!" he ordered, "One pass, then attack the base!"

"Control, this is Gamma one, copy that!" was the static response from the speakers.

"Alpha", he then ordered, "Keep the X-Wings busy and protect Gamma!"

"This is Alpha one, copy that." answered another voice.

Meanwhile, following Tel's orders, the _Caleidoscope_ moved forward, leaving its position between the two cruisers and engaged the X-wings. The battle between the Defenders and X-wings took place in close distance to the Rebel corvette, called the _Justifier_. Now both the _Lancer_-class frigate and the corvette supported its own side with its batteries. The cannons that couldn't be turned against the starfighters were pointed at the other capital ship. The accuracy of the turbolasers of the corvette had not been helpful against the TIE Defenders, but proved now to be effective against the frigate, while on the other side the rain of green laser fire of the _Lancer_'s quad-lasers were deadly for starfighters, but not so much against other capital ships.

Meanwhile back onboard the _Generatión_, the first losses were reported. "Beta three destroyed", the ensign next to Arkyn said, "pilot is EVA."

"Rescue craft?" Arkyn asked.

"ST66-1 is already on its way."

Four proton torpedoes exploded at the shields. The trembling from the explosion could be felt throughout the ship. A lieutenant from the weapons console spoke up: "Base is in range, but our starfighters are in the line of fire."

"Then fire through them!" Tel shouted.

Arkyn looked up. _Not again!_ "Order cancelled!" Arkyn shouted leaving the starfighter station, "Accelerate and bring us over the fighters. Then use our side mounted batteries for a full salvo. Same orders for the _History_!"

"Yes, Sir!" Captain Morgos replied.

"What are you doing?" Tel shouted, storming towards Arkyn.

"Our job, Tel…" Arkyn tried to argue although he did not have the time for it.

Again, the ship trembled under the impact of proton torpedoes. A console exploded and a crewman was hurled backwards from the burst.

"Can someone get these Y-Wings?" Tel asked, "They're starting to get on my nerves!"

* * *

Remand-System (Asteroid belt) – Dolkar Sector 

Space battle – TIE/ad _Beta 4_

Tour: 1 day, 23 hours

Beta Four dived under the ion shots of the Y-Wing he pursued. Then he rolled to right, evading further fire. He pulled the stick towards him and neared the Y-Wing from below. The Y-Wing, already stripped of his shields, tried to escape to the right, but it was too late: Beta Four fired his laser cannons and hit the pylon that connected the engine with the fuselage. The engine was hurled away into the deep space and the rest went into a spin.

* * *

Remand-System (Asteroid belt) – Dolkar Sector 

ISS _Generatión_ – Bridge

Tour: 1 day, 23 hours

"Is that a Y-Wing spinning directly at us?" Tel asked, seeing the burning wreckage coming closer to the main bridge window.

"It is." Arkyn replied.

A light, brighter than any sun, flooded the bridge. Everyone instinctively ducked – except for captain Morgos. After the light had vanished, Tel said: "That was close!"

"Yep" was Arkyn's reply.

The ensign from the starfighter station reported, still shocked, that all Y-Wings had been destroyed and Gamma Squadron was attacking the base now.

It took two approaches of Gamma and a full salvo of the _Generatión_'s and the _History_'s main batteries to destroy the asteroid. Two rebel shuttles were able to escape just before the destruction. Meanwhile, the _Caleidoscope_, although scratched by the turbolasers, was literally shredding the _Justifier_ with the aid of Beta Squadron.

The other remaining asteroid base was abandoned, but it was destroyed nonetheless, to make sure that never again rebels or similar scum would use it as a base.

* * *

Remand-System (Asteroid belt) – Dolkar Sector 

Rebel shuttle _Freedom X_ – Cockpit

Moments after the destruction of the base

The _Lambda_-shuttle bowed and screamed under the impacts of million of small stones that once had been the outpost _Hidden Despair_. Brewker didn't say a word while he flew his shuttle. _His shuttle…_ It wasn't even his shuttle. He was a technician who had flown shuttles and starfighters only for testing and repairs. Not in combat. He brought the shuttle upwards, close over the surface of another asteroid and then down again.

The Sullustan on the co-pilot seat mumbled something that Brewker didn't understand. But he didn't have to. On the radar screen two red blips got closer. TIE Defender: Faster, deadlier and far more manoeuvrable than his shuttle. He looked out of the window to his left and saw the _Free Destiny_, the Dx-9 shuttle that made it out of the base, too, filled with hangar technicians and personal that made it into the shuttles fast enough.

Green laser fire filled the space to his left and Brewker pulled his shuttle downwards. Not to the right as some other inexperienced pilots might have done and that saved his skin. But he wasn't save yet. The two Defenders were still on his tail and the field got denser. Up, down, left, right. He reacted while the world around him exploded in green laser fire. His co-pilot screamed, sweat filled his forehead, but he didn't say a word. He was a Duros – he was calm.

Then he remembered something: He was piloting the _Freedom X_. A shuttle that had been modified for one purpose: To come close or even into an imperial installation or spaceship and then to launch two large baradium-plasma bombs hidden in two retractable launcher in the underside of the shuttle.

For a blink of an eye his view left the space in front of him to the modified panels. He found the buttons for the launchers and pressed them. On the underside of the shuttle, two modified space bombs emerged and were activated.

Brewker found what he was looking for: A larger asteroid. He deceived to turn to the left, than turned to right, right behind the asteroid and hopefully out of the sight of the Defenders. He had a few seconds, so he launched the bombs directly into the asteroid, pulled his shuttle up, shifted all the shields backwards and put the accelerator to maximum.

Something heavy hit the shuttle from behind. He just remembered being shaken and something heavy hitting his blue-grey head. But when he opened his eyes again he saw the free space in front of him. He didn't know if he had been out for long, but the asteroid belt was still close behind them. He didn't know the fate of the _Free Destiny_, he didn't know if he had been marked with a homing device or something else. All he knew was that the hyperdrive was still online and functional. So Brewker plugged in a course and brought the shuttle out of this hell.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Sorry that it took so long. Maybe the next chapter will come sooner. Meanwhile... Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 7 – Now there are three of them**

Marol – Dolkar Sector

Jedi Citadel – Training room

Morning

Thousand years ago, during the New Sith Wars, the planet of Marol had been a place of culture and learning. The enormous Citadel that had been built there after the destruction of the Jedi Enclaves on Dantooine, Taris and Ossus had been destroyed during the Old Sith Wars even more years ago. Although the Temple of Coruscant had become the new center of the Jedi Order, the Citadel of Marol had been hardly remote or backwater. The New Sith Wars changed all this. During the terrible reign of the Belia Darzu all Jedi at the citadel were slain in a surprise attack of the Dark Lady and her Technobeasts. After the defeat of Darzu, the Sith Lord LaTor made the ruins of the citadel his new headquarters. When the fortune of the war shifted towards the Jedi and the Republic, all Sith had been driven to Ruusan where the final battle would take place. The Citadel of Marol, however, had been completely destroyed and, after the Great Resynchronization, was abandoned for good.

The Citadel was located in a valley that was constantly filled with thick, white fog. Now, after more than thousand years of decay, all you could see were some beige rotten columns and walls peaking out of the fog. However, the levels built on the ground and beneath were still intact and served now as a training base for a new generation of Jedi.

_He watched as these new Jedi trained with their lightsabers like the old Jedi had done before. A tournament, to find out who is the strongest of the Clan, who would become a Padawan. Of course, in these times, there would be no Padawans, not like in the old days, how it should be. No, these young Jedi were trainees, not as powerful as the old Jedi, but strong enough to help the Jedi order survive until the Empire would be gone. _

_There were twenty-five Jedi in this Clan – the only Clan that was left of the Jedi Order – and the tournament was almost over. Two had come into the final round: Lianna Curas, a young girl from C'tau III. She was strong in the force. In the old days, she would have become a great Jedi. Laros Ben, a boy from Dellalt: Nineteen years old – two years older than Lianna – and like her, strong in the force. They were equal in combat and in strength and more powerful than anyone in this class. They always made it into the final round – there was no contest. Both would be most resourceful for him._

_The tournament had been a spontaneous decision by him, to find out if everything was still in order after he had been away for a while. A tournament was always a welcome break from the monotone studies. They would fight in pairs, winner against winner until only Laros and Lianna would be left. Twenty five was not a good number to be divided in pairs, but two of them were currently absent, on missions for the Rebellion. Twenty three was still not a good number, but luckily, some things never changed. _

_Farmgirl, on of them, insisted on participating, demanding that she was good enough. A joke. She was the weakest among them. In the old days she would already be in the AgriCorps, where she would belong. But in these times they unfortunately needed everyone they could get. She would not even survive the first round, but she still insisted to participate. In the old days such a stubborn and disrespectful behaviour would not have been tolerated. Luckily he had his own methods of punishment. He named the teams of the tournament and when Farmgirl asked for her partner, he had force-pushed her through the hall, slamming her into a wall, much to the amusement of her Clan mates. He told her that she lost and sent her on a five kilometre training run. Twenty-two was a more adequate number to work with._

The tournament ended in a draw between Lianna and Laros – as usual. They were equal in strength, skill and knowledge, until one would make a mistake. Third and fourth place were claimed by Belran Ka'tas and his friend Nieron – as ususal. They were strong, too, but they lacked some discipline, especially Nieron. Lianna and Laros received applause and congratulations from their Clan Mates – as usual. Later, Farmgirl returned from her run.

_You are late, Farmgirl. But I expected nothing less from you._

She was exhausted. She did her best. But her master was not satisfied – as usual. She tried to say something between her heavy breaths, but Lianna did this for her. "Maybe you should use the force next time!" The others laughed. Everybody knew she was weak in the force.

_Lianna is right, Farmgirl. Spent the next hours in training and meditation, although it wouldn't help you._

"Yes…master…", was all she could say.

Everyone left, except for Farmgirl who picked up a training saber and started to fight with a training droid.

_He could only shake his head. Some people never learn. Farmgirl was weak in the force, so she tried to compensate this with intense physical training – what nonsense!_

* * *

Hyperspace – en route to the Lirax-System 

ISS _Generatión_ – Private Quarters

Tour +2 days, 5 hours

The small flotilla had just left their first battlefield – the Remand-System – and was now heading towards its new destination. Inside the quarters that were assigned to the two young Dark Jedi, there was much to discuss.

"How could you defy my orders?" Tel shouted. He was walking around, gesticulating, looking for something to destroy – he was in rage again. Unfortunately the only available target was Arkyn Medor.

_Don't show any weakness now, Arkyn_, he said to himself. "I didn't defy your orders, Tel", he said. His voice was strong and self confident, he was standing firm and didn't move. "I altered them. Your orders would have endangered our pilots!"

"They are just pilots!" Tel shouted, "They know they can get killed any time!"

"But _not_ by friendly fire!" Arkyn firmly replied, but not shouting. "Yes, their job is dangerous, Tel, but we are their commanders! We are soldiers, not gamblers! And as soldiers it is not only our duty to protect the Empire but also the lives that are entrusted to us. You are a military leader, Tel, not a brute. You have a _responsibility_! Accept it and act that way. I have said it before and I'll say it again: Darkness and control, not hate and anger!"

Arkyn wouldn't be surprised if Tel had activated his lightsaber and sliced him down within a second. But he didn't. He was breathing heavily, staring at Arkyn. _I'm still feeling the anger inside him. He wants it now more than before. He knows that I'm right and that he has to stand down, but that won't satisfy his anger. He needs to destroy, he needs to kill. Maybe he should take over a more active part in our next battle. Maybe that will help._

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector 

Imperial Palace – Guest Quarters

Same time

The small hologram of Lieutenant Caybasi stood on the table and reported the progress. "…our Dark Jedi have destroyed a Rebel base in the Remand-System. They are now heading towards the Lirax-System. One of our teams has successfully located and eliminated a Rebel cell on the planet Jumina. The leader has been captured and is currently still under interrogation. Further reports are coming in; I'll have a small presentation ready this evening. Caybasi out."

_So far, so good. It seems that I have to do something, too._ The door opened and the servant girl came in with a plate of fruits. She was in her mid-twenties, not born on Cyphar but somewhere else. She had long, red-golden hair, blue eyes and wonderful voice (and body). Her name was Irina Gels. Redge deactivated the hologram when she entered. "Did I disturb something important, master?" she asked.

"No, not really, my young servant", Redge replied, "Just standard reports." He turned to Lox, his loyal bodyguard droid. "Lox, what do we know about the spy in palace?"

The droid's red eyes started to flicker, just for a moment. Lox may have started his existence as a normal gladiator droid, but now he was also a nearly fully-equipped protocol droid, to assist the Inquisitor. Redge mistrusted normal protocol droids, especially the imperial standard RA-7 and IMP models, but that mistrust was well-placed. "According to Caybasi's reports and our own research", Lox started in his mechanical, menacing voice, "the spy was able to acquire the Master Control Password of the Palace's security system, which means he or she lives or works at the palace. He or she also possessed a modified comlink with integrated scrambler and suppressor to contact to the attacking Rebels since the security grid had been deactivated one moment before the gunboat had arrived. Everything indicates that he or she is an undercover working slicer."

Redge leant back in the red divan he was sitting in. "I think there is more behind it", Redge said more to himself, "When I scanned the mind of Captain Rymson, I sensed the work of telepathy. The girl from the museum – Aurelia, right? Didn't she mention something about telepathy?"

Lox scanned the reports and databanks. "Yes", he answered, "The report says that the Jedi talked – quote 'directly into my mind' end quote. Sounds like telepathy."

"Forgive me, Master", Irina said, "but Jedi? Isn't that a little bit far fetched? I thought that all Jedi were extinct."

Instead of answering directly, he used the force to lift a fruit of the plate and levitated it in his hands. "The Jedi, maybe", he said dryly, "but you can't extinct the force. We are talking about certain talents that show up where we might never expect them." He got up and started to leave the room. "I think I will pay Aurelia a visit", he said, and then he turned to Irina. "And you, my young servant? I sense that you are interested in this case."

A dark aura filled her mind. "Well…" Suddenly, she was not so sure of herself anymore. "You know, master, during the assault, one of the servants killed was a good friend… so, if I can do anything to stop these lunatics… I just want to help…"

Redge put a soft and understanding smile on his face. "Believe me, my young servant", he said to her, "you _will_ help me."

* * *

Albur's Crossroads – Asianna Sector 

Spaceport – Outside Landing Pit 69

Night

The major trading route that connected the Dolkar Sector with the neighbouring Asiana Sector went through this one system at the border of the Asianna Sector and was _the_ meeting point for all smuggler, traders, spacers and similar people from both sectors. The spaceport of the planet Albur's Crossroads was one enormous complex of landing pits and hangars in all sizes and for those who did not spent their life in it, it was one large labyrinth.

For Intelligence Operative Jenni Adam this wasn't a problem. She and her team had traced some possible Rebellion-aligned gunrunners this specific landing pit. Together with AK and Howler, as well as two squads of local COMPNOR CompForce Assault Troopers and the Commandos Mia and Icer, who had come as reinforcements, she was ready to storm the pit and to hopefully interrupt a weapons deal. She was just waiting for one sign.

"_Omicron-4_ to leader", came from her helmet-integrated comlink, "We are in position."

_That's it. Hokay, let's go!_ "All troops", she ordered, "Move in!"

AK cracked the lock of the landing pit's gate. It swung open with a loud _wush!_ The troopers run in, quickly taking cover behind some crates or simply just opening fire. CompForce troopers were known for their blind loyalty, but not always for their skill. The entry was a wild mix of blasterfire, shouting and fast actions.

"Lay down suppressive fire!"

"Blast them!"

"_Grek_-Squad, take the ship on the left! _Osk_-Squad, follow me on the right! Take Cover!"

Jenni allowed herself a smile when she saw that the smugglers had been taken by surprise exactly as she had hoped: Both crews were standing between their ships, a YT-1150 and a YU-410. She then ducked behind a crate as skills and reflexes, trained by numerous imperial and piratical encounters kicked in and the smugglers opened fire on the Imperials.

Most of the smugglers were shot down within the first moments. Mia brought down the last smuggler with one aimed shot of her Stormtrooper One rifle where four troopers hadn't been successful. She noticed a slight movement in the edge of her view field as the YT-1150 rotated one of its laser cannons. With one shot, several crates and half a dozen CompForce troopers were reduced to a fireball. Another commando, Howler, reacted immediately and aimed his portable Reciprocating Quad Blaster at the ship. He pierced the hull several times and destroyed the cannon before the air blinked around the ship as shields and repulsorlifts were activated. The shots impacted on the shield, followed by concussion missile from a trooper with a PLX-2m rocket launcher.

At that moment, _Omicron-4_ arrived and hovered over the landing pit. "Take down the four-tenner before they can raise their shields!" Jenni Adam shouted into her comlink.

From above, the ATR-6 assault transport fired several shots with its lasers turrets into the engine section of the YU-410. It detonated and the next shots hit the bridge of the ship. With one ship out of the way, all fire of the troopers, commandos and transport was concentrated on the other freighter, which was now hovering several meters off the ground. In the last few moments, several salvos of the freighters lasers had harassed the landing pit, destroying crates, cranes, maintenance stations and troopers. But the ship's pilot knew that he wouldn't stand a chance against the assault transport, so he started his ion engines and launched to the sky, followed by _Omicron-4_ and a storm of red blaster fire (and later two local TIE Fighters – because the ship had taken off without permission).

Medical repulsor trucks arrived, picking up the wounded and dead. Jenni Adam watched the scene. The landing pit required a full renovation and there wasn't much left of the YU-410 that would be helpful for their investigations. Unfortunately, the YT-1150 had crashed and had left even less than the YU-410. _What a mess! Don't think we can get much info here_, she thought with regret, _well, just__another normal bad day_. Then she noticed that the four commandos had gathered around some of the crates. She walked to them. "Anything interesting?" she asked.

"Yeah, definitely", AK said, holding up several datapads. "We found this with the smugglers: accounts, passwords, freight records… Everything."

"And check this out!" Icer tossed the cover of one crate away with his foot, revealing the content. "Imp-grade E-11s. Definitely not bought on the open market!"

Jenni raised her eyebrows. _Maybe not such a bad day after all._

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector 

Imperial Palace – Gym

A few minutes later

Redge found Aurelia in the palace's gym hall. She was sparring with an ASP-19 training droid. The droid wielded a charged electrostaff, just like Aurelia, fighting her in a fierce combat. The droid was stoic repeating his simply programming, while Aurelia was deploying a very unique style. Redge recognized a few moves from Teräs Käsi and some other from the training sessions he had seen on Dromund Kaas, but then some others were completely unknown to him. On a bench, next to the mat where Aurelia was training, her two friends were sitting and watched the fight.

"Nice combat style, Miss Glermin." Redge said and introduced his presence in the hall. The two teens on the bench turned around, surprised. Aurelia didn't stop fighting.

"You're the Inquisitor, right? Roam Ledge?" Aurelia asked, dodging under a swung of the electrostaff and then started a series of attack with her own electrostaff.

"Loam Redge", he corrected. "I heard you had a little fun with two of my commandos yesterday evening."

She pushed the droid back near the edge of the mat, but then the ASP-19 dodged the last swung, rolled aside and still on his knees, he swung his staff around, hit the back of Aurelia's lower legs and brought her down. She landed on her back, holding her staff across her chest to black the droid's staff only millimetres away from her face. "I wouldn't describe it as fun", she said, breathing hard. With a hard groan she pushed the high-voltage charged end of the droid's staff away and jumped on her feet again and made a backflip. The droid's staff hit the mat. "How can I help you?"

"Just a few questions."

"Fine. End of fight!" she ordered and the droid stopped within his new attack. His staff powered down and the droid placed itself in the holder at the wall and then deactivated himself. Aurelia grabbed a towel. "I already told the security forces everything I know."

"I know", Redge replied, "there are just a few things where I have to be sure."

At this point, Dill Gerik, Aurelia's blond-haired friend, spoke: "Why don't you ask your commandos?"

"Dill!" Lina, the dark-skinned girl interrupted him.

"What?" Dill asked, "I mean, they were there, too!"

Redge smiled internally. _This boy seems to have no respect, or he is just too protective._ "Indeed, my young friend, but your friend here had a contact with him that was much more… let's say 'personal'."

"What do mean by this?" Lina asked, crossing her arms.

"The telepathy" Aurelia said. Her look seemed to be drifting far away, remembering of what had happened. "I saw his face, but when he talked, his lips didn't move. The voice was directly projected in _my head_!"

Redge had suspected something like that. He reached with his thoughts into her mind and projected a message. _Something like that?_

She shrieked and jumped up, grapping her head. "Whoa!" Then she calmed down. "Yes, something like that, but different."

"How different, my young girl?"

"Well… Your 'talking' was a little bit more… 'forced'. You hammered it directly into my head. And there was more than just the message. It was a whole impression. It is really hard to describe. This Jedi… His 'talking' was just like a speaker installed in my head. The voice – nothing more, nothing less. As if it was natural for him to use telepathy like we use our mouth."

That was interesting. This Jedi seemed to have a focus on mental abilities. During his life, he had met many Jedi, but none of them had used the force in that way or in that high skill. Not that some of them would not have been able to reach this level, they just didn't _want_ to – why should they? But he had heard of some Sith that had given up their ability to speak to gain more power. A Sith? Here? Allied with the rebels? _No, that would be ridiculous_. But an interesting thought nonetheless. But that also means that my spy in the palace is not the Jedi from the museum. A Jedi with these mental abilities would not have left such a mess in Rymson's mind. He was very careful about his traces: The other inquisitorial platoon, the guards in the museum, the diversion at the palace… He did everything to stay unknown. This means we have two Jedi, at least. _Somehow I have a feeling that we will soon see a few more…_

He put a smile on his face. "Thank you, Miss Glermin, you have really helped me."

"No prob."

Redge started to leave the gym. Shortly before he had left the room, the boy – Dill – spoke up again. "Hey, since you are one of these Inquisitor-guys", he asked very self-confident, "do you have force-powers?"

"Dill!" Lina warned him again.

_Definitely no respect._ Redge stopped but he didn't turn around.

"What?" Dill asked. "I mean, these powers totally rock! Lifting things, telepathy… Must be total fun!"

"These powers are a great responsibility!" Lina argued.

"And they almost got me killed", Aurelia said additionally, not really participating in this conversation.

"I know!" Dill said to Lina, "and they totally rock!"

Now Redge intervened, but he didn't turn around. "Young boy, the force may look astonishing to simple people like you, but when you are born with this gift and you are used to it forever since birth, they loose their attraction."

"Oh, come on, don't you ever feel a little temptation?"

Redge smiled in his mind. _Absolutely no respect._ "No." was all he said and started to walk again. Suddenly Dill, although he stood firm on the ground, slipped and landed hard on the ground. With a slight tone of humor in his voice, Redge said, leaving the gym: "Better watch you step next time, my young boy."

Lina helped Dill to get up again. "Man, this guy has no sense of humor", he complained.

"You can be grateful that you're still breathing, Dill" Lina replied. "Inquisitors are not the friendliest beings in this galaxy. Even thinking of falling into the clutches of one of them makes me shudder…"

"Yeah, whatever…" Dill didn't really listen to her. "What about a small snack from Biscuit Baron?"

"Again?" Aurelia asked, "Do you know what this food does to your body?"

"C'mon, Aura, you eat this stuff, too!"

"Yeah, but I don't _live_ on it"

* * *

Lirax-System – Lirax-II 

Rebel Training Camp – Outside

Tour +4 days, 2 hours

_Maybe it had just been a 'phase'…_ She was laying in a mud-filled trench while heavy blaster-, laser- and projectile fire filled the air above and around her. It had been the time in the live of young teens when they feel uncomfortable at home. The time, when they question their known environment. The time when they discover new things and want to revolt against everything that seemed to be given.

Her parents had called it a 'phase'. They had told her that the things she had seen as 'old-fashioned' and 'narrow-minded' would make sense once she got older. But she hadn't believed them. She wanted to get free of them, of the system, of everything, she wanted to change things. And the best thing she could think of was to grab her best friend, run away from home and to join the Rebellion.

Now, after almost five months on this cold, dry and nearly lifeless rock called Lirax-II, she regretted her decision. Her friends were dead. The base had been destroyed. The Gallofree Transporter that should have brought her off-planet was a burning wreck. Everything she wanted now while she was crawling between burned corpses, destroyed tanks and devastated rocks was to be home again, with her family.

_Maybe it had just been a 'phase'…_ That were her last thoughts while she was overran by X-1 Vipers, SD-10 War Droids and Phase-III Dark Troopers.

* * *

Lirax-System – Lirax-II 

Planetary orbit – TIE/op _Elite One_

Tour +4 days, 2 hours

Arkyn brought his TIE Oppressor into a new dive attack. The upper double turbolaser of the Corellian Corvette fired in a futile effort to stop him. He made a nearly redundant barrel roll to the left and then released three proton bombs of his bomb launcher before he pulled the steering stick towards him and he got pressed into his seat while his fighter accelerated back into the space.

Tel was close behind and repeated his manoeuvre, firing two bombs at the engine section. The disproportionately large high engine section crumbled under the repeated attacks. Secondary explosions bumped out of the already damaged ship. Arkyn contacted the flagship: "_Generatión_, this is Elite One", he said, "Target is yours!"

The _Generatión_'s strongest weapons were ten medium turbolaser batteries, four of them pointing forward. A full salvo of them sealed the fate of the Corellian Corvette. A giant lightball filled the dark space and made Arkyn cover his eyes. He turned his fighter around and observed his sensor as well as the debris around him.

What he saw were the remnants of a long but constructive battle. The Imperials had caught the Rebels by surprise. All of their ships had been on the planet, so the Strike Cruisers scored some early hits from the orbit. While the _Unwritten History_ had then been forced into a lower orbit to deploy the 27181st Light Mechanized Attack Battalion with her Y-4 and JV-7 shuttles and deliver artillery support for them, it had been upon the _Generatión_ and _Caleidoscope_ and her fighters to hold off the escaping rebels. Arkyn and Tel had joined the battle in their TIE Oppressors. Their light bombers could deliver a good punch to slower starfighters as well as smaller capital ships.

The rebel commander had either been inexperienced or panicked. Instead of having his ships launched all at the same time, they had come one after another. Together, they might have been able to overcome or even destroy a single Strike Cruiser. But alone, they had been no match.

In this battle, with minimal own losses, the Empire had been able to destroy – from the orbit as well as in space – two CR-90 Corvettes, seven GR-75 medium transports, two _Kleeque_-class troop carrier, six ATR-6 transports and two squadrons of X-Wing starfighters. Only three of the X-Wings and a shuttle had been able to escape. But that was alright. _Let them know we are coming! You're just playing into our hands._

* * *

Lirax-System – Lirax-II 

Rebel Training Camp – Landing Pit 2

Tour +4 days, 2 hours

TK-336 and his platoon had finally reached landing pit. His heavy footsteps echoed in the large shaft. It was one of five long cylinder-shaped pit going over two hundred meters into the ground. The top had and iris-like gate that was now half-opened by orbital bombardment of the _History_.

He and his squad had entered the base through the large main hangar where the transporters had been. His platoon had no losses. The rebels in their light armor and weak blaster rifles were no match for their Dark Trooper Phase-III Exosuits.

The door to the pit busted under a missile from his shoulder-mounted rocket launchers. Before the fire and smoke had cleared, TK-336 jumped over the remnants of the door into the pit. His HUD sensors quickly identified two humans standing at the ramp of a shuttle. Instinctively, before he had landed, his ARC-Caster Assault Cannon filled the room with plasma blasts. These powerful weapons were quintuplet-barrelled rifled that could serve as shotguns as well as fast repeating rifles and were absolutely deadly and destructive.

The two soldiers were hit by his and the shots of his comrades who stormed into the pit shortly after him. There were twenty-nine of them, not counting him. Most of them formed a circle around the shuttle and targeted it with their integrated, shoulder-mounted missile launchers.

They had to capture this shuttle. It was the last remaining ship and they had to capture some Rebels. _Dead Rebels are good, but livin' Rebels can talk!_ TK-336 ordered five of his men forward. Together with him they positioned themselves around the ramp of the shuttle that TK-336's HUD meanwhile had identified as a Clone Wars-era T-2c _Theta_-class. He was ready to give the order to storm the ship when a large invisible fist hit him. He and his men were pushed back with such a force that they landed hard on the ground and glided for several meters.

A tall figure came down the ramp. He was over two meters tall. He wore a black robe, boots and overalls that matched with his hair but stood in a clear contrast to his white skin. He had a large forehead and a flat nose. The most disturbing fact was that each hand of his had seven clawed fingers. One hand clenched a forty-centimetres-long cylindrical metal stick.

When TK-336 looked up again he saw the humanoid swirling the stick and a long blade of pure white light emerged from the stick. Those Dark Troopers that were not affected by the push let go of the current target, the shuttle, and aimed at the figure.

"He's a Jedi!" one of his men shouted.

"Lieutenant, your orders?" another one asked.

"Order 66 remains active" TK-336 said, rising from the ground, "Kill him!" _Jedi_, he thought, _better dead than alive!_

Two troopers fired immediately from opposite directions, only hitting themselves as the Jedi jumped forward high in the air. He landed at the wall of the pit and started running along it, followed closely by hundreds of blue-white plasma beams. TK-336 did not fire his Assault Cannon. He targeted the running Jedi with his HUD and fired a full salvo of six missiles at him.

The Jedi sensed it. He jumped away from the wall. The explosion ripped massive amounts of ferrocrete out of the wall and hurled it everywhere through the pit. The Jedi was caught by the shockwave and pushed over the shuttle, but he was able to hold on one of the upwards folded wings of the shuttle – but not for long. Moments after he landed, the wing was holed by plasma beams, but the Jedi was already away. He had jumped forward, made several loops and rolls in the air, elegantly evading every singe plasma beam and landed directly in front of TK-336.

TK-336 knew that this was not a good situation. Although this Jedi was over two meters tall, he was still dwarfing him by one meter, but neither his Assault Cannon nor his rocket launchers could help him now. The Jedi swung his lightsaber with a strength that surprised TK-336. He deflected the blow instinctively with his arm. His deflector shield glowed with red and blue sparkle as the saber hit it, but that didn't save him from the kinetic energy behind the attack: His arm was pushed away and it _hurt_! A scale on his HUD went darker.

_PDS _(Personal Defence Shield)_: 67_

The next one hit TK-336's left arm. Still startled from the first attack, it was the same game: The shield hold but the pure strength behind it left his chest open for an attack.

_PDS: 35_

And the attack came: A direct slash from above impacted on his chest. Even below the thick armor the air was pushed out of his lungs. He coughed and stumbled two steps backwards.

_PDS: 2 Warning! PDS critical_

His men did not fire. They could have hit their leader and they knew that his shield was getting weaker. But now there were two steps between him and the Jedi. Still too close to open fire, but now TK-336 had a moment to win back the initiative. The Jedi made a move to slice him into half and he would have succeeded – his shield was too weak. In this moment, TK-336 activated his jetpack and within a blink of an eye he was over ten meters in the air.

The Jedi was startled. For one second – long enough. Within moments he got fried by more than a dozen quintuplet ARC-Casters. The Jedi couldn't even scream in pain. His whole body was disintegrated within seconds. His head was the only thing that was left _relatively_ unscarred

Seeing that their protector had gone, the shuttle took off. Slowly, the large repulsorlifts kicked in and the spaceship lifted from the ground. A futile effort since the main gates were still closed and could not be opened ever again because the metal was deformed and the mechanics damaged.

Three troopers immediately reacted. With their jetpacks they kept on the same height as the shuttle and fired their missiles. From three different directions missile after missile impacted on the hull – the shields had no yet been activated – and slowly advanced through the armor towards the critical systems. Soon they were joined by their comrades, firing from the ground.

One salvo hit the stabilizer, one the engines, one the comm-system. The shuttle drifted sideward and collided with the wall. The loud shrieking that followed while the shuttle slid down the wall was more similar to that of a giant wounded and dying animal than that of a man-made machine. It crashed down on the ground and shattered – not exploded. That hasn't been a question of luck, but a matter of skill. _But skill is when luck becomes a habit_, TK-336 _thought, and we are _highly_ skilled!_

"Contact the _Generatión_", TK-336 ordered, picking up the dead Jedi's head from the ground, "We may have found something that might interest them."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 – Traps **

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector

Imperial Palace – Security Control Room

Noon

…And we should place additional holocams here and here", Captain Rymson said, pointing at the display. "That would give us the possibilities to cover more space."

"Indeed", Inquisitor Redge added. "Now that we have finished with the last modifications, our teams can start installing the new systems."

In the last few days Inquisitor had worked together with the palace security to upgrade the surveillance system of the imperial installation. While the fortress had a sufficient imperial standard system, the grid of the palace was good, but not nearly as effective as the imperial one. Captain Rymson, who knew the palace, had made several constructive suggestions.

The door to the control room opened and Moff Liron Gar came in, escorted by four of his personal bodyguards. Normally, the Moff wasn't an impressive man: small and very corpulent, he was seen as a simpler person. But now, judging by the colour of his face, he wasn't in a nice mood. "Inquisitor", he ordered, "what is the meaning of all this? A new security system? Why wasn't I informed about it?"

Redge was too old to be disturbed or enraged by one little man. "But my dear Moff", he said calmly, "You had been informed. Haven't you read the memo I sent you?"

That was the truth. But sending a _memo_ about something like this to a Moff was like ignoring him.

"You Deep Core people", the Moff shouted, "You high-nosed arrogant Coreworlders. You think you know everything better, do you? The system we have now has been enough for _decades_! The new additions you want to make would not have prevented the Rebel attack and you know this. You!" he pointed at the captain, "Rymson! Tell him!"

Rymson was unsure; Redge could see it in his face. He was torn apart between the loyalty to his Moff and to his duty as chief of security. Redge gave him an encouraging nod and also boosted his confidence with the force.

"Well, it is true", he begun shyly, "that the new system wouldn't have prevented the attack. We still use a master control password, but the upgrades close several leaks in our grid we have discovered since the attack. These leaks, like the current system, have also been here for _decades_."

Redge smiled. "You see, my dear Moff, the upgrades are necessary." Moff Gar wanted to protest but Redge raised his finger and shut him up. "If you want to say something, always remember: I have the higher authority here. I don't need your permission."

The Moff's face was red of anger and if this whole scene would be a cartoon, steam would come out of his ears. "This isn't over yet", he said with suppressed anger, turned around and stormed out of the room.

Rymson scratched his head. "I don't know if this was a good idea…" he commented.

"Moff Gar has lived here for too long", Redge said with a firm voice, "His comfort has made him blind for mistakes and the calmness of this sector in the past had given him the illusion that he has everything under control. It was about time to wake him up."

* * *

Marol – Dolkar Sector

Jedi Citadel – Private Quarters

Early morning

When talking to a hologram, he had to rely on his mouth to talk. A weakness! His strength in the force has given him the abilities to put away the primitive forms of speech and to ascent to a new pure form of communications. A form of the force. But now he had to talk like a normal person. But that wasn't his fault. The technology of the holocom wasn't able to transmit the force.

But right at the moment, he couldn't talk. He had to listen to his old master.

"I am very disappointed of you", the hologram of the old Sunesi said, and "I have taught you the way of the Jedi and now this. What have you done?"

"Master, the Sacrifice was necessary." That was all he could say. His throat hurt. He hadn't spoken for a while.

"Sacrifice?" Aqinos seemed to be shocked. "You sent them into death. The attack on the palace was unnecessary except to draw more attention towards us and the Rebellion."

"Master, the attack was necessary to draw the attention away from me. Thanks to them, millions will be free soon and in loyal service of the fo… Rebellion. And these soldiers… they aren't dead. They are now one with the force. There is no need for regret."

"Trybokk lost his sons, Padawan. He had almost left the Rebellion."

"Then tell him to be happy. His sons died as servants of the force. There is no better way."

Aqinos shook his head. "I can't believe what I am hearing. Have you ever listened to what I have taught you? I…"

Another person entered the reach of the holoprojector, Nextor, FLTCH-droid and the usual Jedi representative in the Rebel Council. But now Master Aqinos had travelled himself to the secret Rebel HQ to talk to the council – and had missed the arrival of his rouge apprentice by two days. This was the first opportunity to talk to him.

"Master Aqinos", Nextor said, "The council awaits us."

"Thank you, Master Nextor", he replied and turned back towards his Padawan. "We will talk about this later. Meanwhile, meditate about your deeds and think if they were really worth of a Jedi."

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector

Imperial Palace – Sublevels, near the computer core

Late evening

Irina Gels wandered through the corridors. In the deepest levels of the palace, there was little light, because only a few people actually worked down here. Irina was on her way to meet with one of these people. The computer core of the palace was also the computer core of the Imperial fortress that had been built directly next to palace. The fortress' and palace's system were connected with each other. That was the reason why the fortress' weapon system didn't respond when the rebels had attacked – They had been deactivated like all the other systems.

The man she was about to meet was guarding next to a nondescript door. Hardly anyone would suspect that behind this little door there was the central computer core. When the man saw Irina, he greeted her like an old friend.

"I'm glad to see you, too, Arek. How is it going down here?"

Arek, soldier of the palace's security force, shrugged. "Boring, as usual. And what is with you? Do you want to the computer core… again?"

"You know how much I like it to play with advanced military technology."

"And you also know that I can't allow this."

Irina acted as being offended. "C'mon, Arek. That didn't stop you in the past. You liked it, too!"

Arek took his ceremonial blaster rifle and pointed at an unsuspicious hemisphere at the ceiling. "Sorry, Irina", he said, "You know the Inquisitor is beefing up the security. _Massively_. This is a holocam they installed here a few days ago."

"I see." She sighed. "Well, another time then. Maybe when this Inquisitor has left …"

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector

Imperial Palace – Quarters

Morning

Inquisitor Loam Redge supervised the teams from the _Indigo Maiden_ and _Black Citadel_ installing new security systems everywhere in the palace. His presence wouldn't be necessary but since he was currently living in the palace it was inevitable to run into the technicians everywhere – or one of the other residents.

"My dear Lina", Loam said to the dark-skinned girl he had just run in, "How comes it that I always run into you these days?" That was right, Lina always seemed to be somewhere near the Inquisitor.

"Well, Sir, It must be the fact that you and your staff are simply everywhere in the palace."

Loam smiled. "Yes, that is possible. We have a lot of work to do."

"All these holocams and sensors…" Lina asked, "Is this really necessary? I kinda feel watched… even when I shower."

"It might be inconvenient, my young girl, but can I assure you that all these things are necessary and, compared to the security standards of the Core Worlds, it is still relative lax."

"Really?" she asked with a little surprise.

"You would be surprised. But as long as we haven't found this spy, all these measures are necessary."

* * *

Cyphar – Middle Rim

Capital City – 72nd Street Supply Depot

Tour +4 days, 12 hours

"We're about to leave the Lirax-System" Arkyn's hologram said. "As the reports had expected, we found a secret training facility _and_ a Jedi."

"Now that's interesting", Caybasi replied. He was in the same command room where they had planned the little 'tour'. But this time the room was empty expect for Lieutenant Caybasi who collected data for his report. "I'm sure the Inquisitor will be pleased to hear that. Was he much of a challenge?"

"I can't tell. I was in space at this time. Our lightsaber-wielding friend ran into a squad of Phase-III-Darktroopers."

"Ouch!" Caybasi commented.

"Indeed, _ouch_", Arkyn continued. "There isn't much left of him but from what we have we can say that he was a male Tarro."

"Tarro?" Caybasi asked, "These things still exist?" Tarro were an alien species from the Unknown Regions. When their sun had exploded over a century ago, only a few had the luck to be off-planet. It surly was a surprise to find one among the Rebellion and even more surprisingly to be a Jedi.

Arkyn looked down on his datapad. "According to _The Essential Guide to Alien Species_, there are still a few Tarro enclaves in the Empire. The largest is on Seltos."

"We have a COMPNOR medical research facility here on Cyphar." Caybasi said, "They also focus on xenobiological research. You should send the remains over here."

"Copy that. Any news from the capital, Lieutenant? Or the other teams"

"Not really", Caybasi answered, also checking his datapad. "We have some leads here, but nothing solid."

"Anyway, it seems that our mission is finished: We found the Jedi and eliminated him!"

"I'll report your conclusions to the Inquisitor", Caybasi said in a high-nosed voice, "But in the meantime, continue you little 'tour'. Eliminating the Rebellion is of equal importance to us."

"Yeah, whatever." Then the hologram disappeared.

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector

Imperial Palace – Computer Core

A week later, night

_So, he wants a traitor. A spy, a rebel, someone he can blame everything on. Fine! He shall have one._ The dark figure leaned over the keyboard and watched at the computer screen. Subroutines, algorithms… She didn't completely understand everything and she wasn't a professional hacker, but it was enough to find and manipulate the holocam-archives. Enough, so that this Inquisitor will find what he was looking for. A few misplaced evidences combined with a will to find a traitor and a manipulated holocam should be enough.

Of course, what she didn't know was that the computer core's activities were watched by the imperial splicers onboard the _Indigo Maiden_.

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector

ISS _Indigo Maiden_ – Tactical Control Center

Same time

"Hey, Jonaas!" Dietr called from his station, "I think we got something!"

Jonaas sighed. Nightshifts were so boring. Working as a hacker for the Empire had not been his decision, but after ten years of freelance hacking into every kind of computer system, a visit from two ISB officers had convinced him to donate his computer skills for the greater good. Now he had access to state-of-the-art computer hard- and software, but all this military discipline bugged him – and nightshifts. Endless hours of sitting in front of monitors and the only thing that broke the boredom were 'alerts' created by bugs in low-quality programs. Without even thinking of taking his feet off the computer console he asked: "What is it now?"

"Someone's on the holocams!" Dietr said.

"So what? Someone's taking a midnight snack!"

"Would you take a midnight snack take in a black overall _and_ manipulate the holocams for it?"

Jonaas smiled. "Maybe the Moff doesn't want his wife to know he's skipping the diet. But seriously: Are you sure?"

"Yep. Someone's spooking around the palace and has manipulated the holocams to alter his appearance."

Jonaas put his feet down from the console and started torturing the keyboard. "Let's see what we can do…"

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector

Imperial Palace – Gym Hall

Next Morning

Being a member of the _Cyphar Cougars_ junior cheerleading squad meant that you have some special privileges: Not only in your social environment, but also for practice: The squad was allowed to use the palace's gym halls. And today was practice day. Aurelia, Lina and all the other girls had already changed into their cheerleading uniforms. Dill was also present and judging from his ridiculous costume, he was the mascot of the team.

"Okay girls!" Aurelia said, facing the group, "We all know next month is the COMPNOR SAGroup (SAG Recreation) New Year Fete Week Sector Cheerleading Camp and Competition. And that means we have to practice, practice, prac…"

She was interrupted when suddenly the gym's door flew open and Inquisitor Loam Redge stepped into the hall, followed by, the servant girl Irina, the droid Lox who held a twisted piece of metal and two commandos.

"Inquisitor Redge?" Aurelia asked surprised and confused. She was the only girl that didn't took a few steps back when they saw Lox, a three-meter tall killing machine with the body of an ancient T1-bulk loader and the head of an A-Series assassin droid. "What is the meaning of this?"

"A matter of imperial security, my young girl", Loam said with confidence, "Last night our computer experts could identify the rebel spy in the palace." He looked at one girl of the squad in particular and felt a tension rising inside Irina. "We're here", he continued, "to arrest you, Lina, for treason against the Great Galactic Empire!"

Once the cat was out of the bag there was a number of gasps and a whole expression of shock from the squad and especially on Lina's face. The two commandos stepped forward to arrest her, their blasters ready to fire. Aurelia stormed forward and protested, but Lox stepped between her and the Inquisitor, driving out a plasma-charged vibro-blade from his free arm.

"With all due respect, _sir_" she said, "You can not be serious! Lina has been my friend ever since she moved here and…"

Loam now sounded very sorry when he interrupted Aurelia. "I am really sorry, my young girl, but I am afraid it is so. We identified her last night sneaking around the palace and hacking into the computer. But if you need something more convincing, Lox, if you please."

The bulky droid stepped forward. Now the girls could see that the twisted peace of meatl he was carrying was the door of Lina's locker. He opened his hand and revealed several items. Redge explained: "A comlink, equipped with a high-level scrambler and a datapad that contains several hacking algorithms. Things that had been used to allow the Rebels to attack the palace." And additional to that he pulled out a SoroSuub Imagecaster from his robes that showed Lina sneaking around in the palace. Leaving a group of shocked girls behind Loam left the room with his companions and Lina who loudly insisted that she was innocent.

"I am really sorry, my dear Aurelia", Redge said with acted sadness, "A betrayal by a close friend is always shocking. But don't worry, we will handle her. In the meantime, my dear young girl, do me a favour and try anything... rushed."

* * *

Reltek-Nebula (Asteroid 773) – Dolkar Sector

Secret Rebel Base – Council Chambers

Same Time

"My friends, we have a crisis", Kalamar said with a sad voice, "Everywhere in the sector our friends and allies are hunted down."

"And we all know who's fault this is", Tailamur added and pointed at Nextor and Aqinos. "If your Jedi hadn't attacked the palace nothing of this would have happened!"

"As I have said before", Aqinos said calmly, "This action was not authorized by the Jedi Order. We will find a suitable disciplinary measure for him."

Trybokk banged his fists on the table. "Rhetoric question: 'suitable disciplinary measure?'", Qixoni the protocol droid translated, "Demand: Stand in for what your Jedi has done. I want blood for my sons."

Iran Kalamar raised his hands to demand silence. "Please, please, calm down. Everybody. We are not enemies. Coucillor Trybokk, we have already found a target for your revenge and you had agreed. What happened in the past cannot be change, so let us now focus on the now. Councillor Irenez, if you please…"

The grey-haired woman rose from her seat. "Thank you, Council Triumvir Kalamar. We could isolate two different teams of Imperials: The first one is a platoon of commandos. They investigate, ask questions and arrest. They operate in inhabited areas like spaceports. There is hardly anything we can do except to tell our people to keep a low profile and hope they aren't found. Luckily so far they have only eliminated a few local cells. They couldn't have found out much.

The second team is another problem: They only attack targets on uninhabited worlds, mostly from space. According to our sources, the Vice-Admiral of the Sector Fleet has assorted a list of possible Rebel bases that would fall under the jurisdiction of the navy. This fleet of three capital ships is apparently using this list."

"Do we know which of our bases are on that list?" Tav Breil'lya asked

"Unfortunately no", Irenez replied, "But we have another clue." She activated the holoprojector and called up a map of the sector. So far the fleet has attacked six bases. They are following a spiral-shaped route from the sector's capital Cyphar towards the rim. We might be able to determine where they might attack next and lie out a trap."

"Very interesting", Kalamar said, "What might be the next target?"

"Our forces in this system. The problem is that we have two bases there, so we don't know where they might attack. But a small strike force waiting outside the system should be able for a Quick response should one of the bases be attacked."

"Good work. I assume that Admiral Tixel has already assembled this strike force?"

"This is correct, Council Triumvir."

"Then he may leave immediately." He sat down and looked at all the council members. "We have taken losses in the past, correct. But the past has also shown that the Rebellion can never be destroyed. We are an eternal flame that one day will burn the Empire to ashes. I can assure you, we will rebuild and be stronger than before."

"About that, Council Triumvir", Breil'lya interrupted.

"Yes, Councillor Breil'lya?"

"My spies have found out that a new chairman has been elected for the shipyards at C'tau III, because the last one had… been present at the attack on the palace."

"Well, congratulations to your spies", Bok Seclam said, "but why is this of our interest?"

"What is interesting, Council Triumvir", Breil'lya continued, "is that the new chairman has a daughter and I assume that our dear Master Aqinos knows her well…"

* * *

Cyphar – Middle Rim

Capital City – 72nd Street Supply Depot

Evening – Same day

A few ours later Irina arrived at the secret headquarter. She had wanted to see the captured traitor on her own and wanted to see her suffer. _The Dark Side has so many forms…_ Loam had invited her to the headquarters and witness the interrogation when her shift was over. Lina, the young dark-skinned girl had been locked into one of the disintegration chambers that had been brought down to the planet from the _Indigo Maiden_. Her hands had been secured with chains over her head.

"Isn't the cell going to kill her?" Irina asked, "It is a _Disintegration_ Cell, after all."

"It won't, my young servant." Loam assured her. "This cell is currently working with only with a splinter of its required power. Very painful, yes, but non lethal." He paused for a moment, thinking. "You could compare it with drowning in humid air."

Lina's pleas of her innocence could not be heard from the outside, like her screams when the cell was activated and the face of the young dark-skinned girls was twisted in agony. Loam tried to read Irina's face as she watched the young victim suffer. "I hope your friend is now avenged."

Irina remembered her friend that was killed during the attack. _One of many victims of this war – a war that should never have been fought._ A soft "Yes" escaped her lips.

Some time later Redge found Irina standing outside the building and watching the stars. So far, the interrogation hadn't brought any results. Lina – when she was able to speak – still insisted that she was innocent. "I'm glad that this whole thing is over now", she said.

"Over, my young servant?" Loam said with acted surprise, "This isn't over yet."

"But you got the spy!"

"Yes, she is a perfect candidate: She moved here a few years ago, quickly befriended with people living in the palace and took courses in computer programming. But I think she has some collaborators around here, and as long as they have not been found, the tight security stays."

"I… I understand. May I go now? It will be a busy day tomorrow."

"Of course you can. You're a guest. Leave whenever you want, my young servant."

After Irina had left Loam ordered to release Lina from her torture and to bring her back to her cell. He then asked Commander Jex which of the commandos were currently here, since most of them were currently following leads everywhere in the sector.

"We have Fiver, heavy weapons, Mia, Patcher and Mixer and of course me."

"Good. They'll have to be enough. If things get ugly, Lox and I can help, too."

"'Ugly', Inquisitor? What do you mean by this?"

"Another premonition. And calculation."

Jex sighed. "What else."

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector

Hidden Rebel Base – Command Center

Evening – Same day

Being the leader of the rebel cell on Cyphar could be very easy or very frustrating.

The cell had never been very large. A necessity when you hid right under the Empire's nose, but Janus Hretick had always been proud that his soldiers had been well-trained and equipped. The two Wookiees had been good fighters as well as trainers.

But now, thanks to the attack on the palace (_not his idea!_); most members of the cell were dead. In fact, the only members left were he and three other humans, the complete leadership of the cell. He could live with that. He could even live with the fact that he had to hide in the base and that the Empire had confiscated his whole shipping company. Hiding, Waiting and then maybe later recruiting a few new members. That was easy.

But now they had been told to attack a depot in the capital city. They had the weapons and the technology, but what they were lacking was manpower. Hretick had tried to explain this to his contact, but she had been adamant. And since it had been ordered that they were at his contact's disposal…

Now he had to find enough people willingly enough to fight against a depot filled with elite imperial commandos. That was frustrating.

"Yo, Rakaton!" he shouted.

"Yes, boss?" his colleague replied.

"Take some money and go to the city. Hire every thug, gang member or loser you can find. We need some muscles for tomorrow!"

* * *

Cyphar – Middle Rim

Capital City – 72nd Street Supply Depot

Next morning

It is early morning over the Capital City of Cyphar. The sun had just risen over the green covered horizon and had touched the silver city with its gentle, yellow light. In the parks, birds flew out of the trees, woken up by the morning and greeted the day with their beautiful songs. A day like any other day, crafted by the force and given to its enlightened beings in this galaxy.

The A-A5 Speeder Truck turned into a side alley and unloaded its cargo: Thirteen men in black armor, carrying deadly weapons and their minds filled with only one thing: the lust to kill. They all came from here, but they hardly knew each other, they all wore the same uniform, but they were no soldiers. They were thugs, disenchanted youths, losers and all the other kind of scum you could find for a galactic Rebellion within one evening.

The leader of this mission, Janus Hretick, the commander of the rebel base, was the last one who got off the truck. He looked at his new solders and was utterly disappointed. More than even before the attack on the palace he had the feeling that this assault was a suicide mission. He called for silence. A futile effort, of course, these thugs had no discipline. The only _soldiers_ he had were his three comrades from his base. They were the only humans, too. The rest were all non-humans: Twi'leks, Bith, a Rodian… They chatted, joked, played with their knives and new blasters they had gotten from the base. Two even started a brawl! _Not good… Sometimes I wonder if the Empire isn't wrong with its 'High Human Culture' program…_

"Okay, noobs, listen up!" he said when there was finally accommodate silence so nearly everyone could hear him. He pointed at the supply depot. "There is our target: the imps. We'll get in there eliminate them, and get out again.

Two, you go with Five, Six and Twelve through the back door.

Three: The front door with Seven, Nine and Eleven.

Four: With Eight and Ten via the roof-top. Any questions?"

"What's my number again?"

"Hey, we're together, cool!"

"Where do I go again?"

…

The only constructive question came from the Rodian: "Where's my post? You didn't count me in the teams!"

"That's right, Thirteen." He pointed at another building, higher and next to the depot. "You'll take a position in there and be our sniper." He handed him over an LD-1 sniper rifle.

The assault begun: Three teams approached the depot from three different directions, all in black armor with sealed helmets.

Back Door: "Okay, noobs" Two said. His team had arrived at its attack point. Two turned around and gave his orders: "This is the back door. I'll count till three, and then we'll rush in there and take out the bad guys from behind. Got that?"

"Six, copy that."

"Twelve, roger that."

"Five: Understood. Rushing in from the back door!"

"Five, did we not teach you how to use a comlink?" Two asked.

"Urm, well… You did!"

"Then GET OFF THAT OPEN CHANNEL!"

"Hokay, hokay, sorry!"

"Di'kut. Okay, once again. I'll count till three: One… Two… Three…"

The door opened with Two still having his back turned towards the door. He heard the opening, of course, his eyes grew wide and the only thing he could say was "Fierfek!" before Fiver blasted all four of them down with his Z-6 rotary blaster.

Front door: Three stepped back from the console he just had hacked into. The main gate of the supply depot was now half-open. "Listen up, Ladies", he said to his men, "Before we go in there and get slaughtered, please be so nice and throw in your smoke grenades!"

"Fire in the hole!"

"Fire in the hole!"

The two grenades of Nine and Eleven perfectly flew into the darkness.

"Fire in the hole!"

Seven threw his grenade too high, it hit the part of the main gate that was still down and bounced back into the attacking rebels. Soon all four of them were covered in thick, grey smoke. _Calm, stay calm…_ Three was near to an outburst of anger as the smoke rose around him. _This cannot be good…_ He shouted to his men: "Get in there, now! Move, move, move…!"

He was interrupted by the familiar sound of blaster fire. "Hey, who's shooting there?" Nine asked.

"Engaging the enemy!"

"Enemy spotted!"

The smoke glowed in the red colour of blaster fire as the rebels fired blindly into every direction, except for Three who was adjusting his goggles for the smoke. Eleven escaped a loud scream of panic when he heard Seven say: "Hey, I still have a grenade!"

Three wanted to stop him, but it was too late:

"Fire in the hole!"

As the smoke had cleared, Patcher stepped out of the shadows and had a satisfying grin on his face under his helmet as he looked at the black crater caused by a concussion grenade.

Roof-Top: Via an outside ladder the last team had reached the top of the depot. At one edge of the roof-top was the entry to a ventilation shaft. "Listen up, you losers!" Four said to his two wanna-be rebels, "This is the ventilation shaft. We have to be real quick in there. You two go first, I'll follow!"

Eight and Ten jumped in the shaft. The vertical part was not long, roughly a meter. Then they moved forward cowered. Finally they saw a light at the end of the shaft and – when the blueprints were correct – they would be right next to the command center of the imps. But before they reached the end there was a connection to another shaft that went orthogonal to their shaft. The other shaft was above them and was easy to reach and would lead to an alternate entry to the command center. "Eight, you go up there!" Four ordered.

Eight looked up to the other shaft, but he didn't move. "Hey", Four shouted, "I said: Move your karking body up there!"

Eight shrugged. "Sorry, I can't."

"So, you can't… And WHY can't you go up there?"

"Because someone's already sitting in there!"

"Because – WHAT?"

Blam!

Eight was shot down with a direct headshot from one of Jex' DH-17 blaster pistols. Ten panicked, what was even increased when Mixer threw a concussion grenade from the end of the shaft at the rebels. The blast filled the tube and when the smoke had cleared, there were no survivors… apparently.

When Four had sent in his two team mates first, he had wanted to make sure that they absorb the fire and he would be able to escape this suicide mission. And that was what had happened: When Eight was shot down, Four had fled and Ten had absorbed enough of the blast so that Four could survive. He had several injuries, burns and perhaps some broken bones, but he was alive and that was all what counted. He wasn't a team player. These idealistic thugs had been expandable for him. All what counted for him was his life.

He had never been so happy in his life when he breathed the fresh air as he climbed out of the ventilation shaft. He hadn't much time to enjoy it, because as soon as his head peaked out of the shaft it was vaporized by a bright yellow lance of blaster energy.

Higher Building: _Oops!_ Thirteen thought, realizing what he just had done. He looked up from his LD-1 sniper rifle down at the depot. Smoke could be seen at the main gate and he was pretty sure he had seen the glowing of blaster fire at the back door. He had been very nervous and had just shot at the first thing that had come into his scope. _Not good…_

He heard the sound of metal hitting ferrocrete next to him. He looked and saw three concussion grenades lying next to him – without the safety catch. "_AAAAAAHHHHHH!_"

WHAM!

The floor Thirteen had hid in exploded and Mia could feel the tremble of the detonation from her hiding place. She smiled.

Imperial command Center: Loam Redge opened his eyes. He had been in meditation during the whole assault, coordinating the commandos via comlink with his feeling for life-forms, short-term premonitions and Lox' observations at the holocam station.

The droid turned around to him as Loam got up from his mediation stance. "All rebels have been terminated, master."

Loam stretched and opened a channel to Commander Jex while he said: "No, there's always one left!"

Rebel Truck: A certain feeling of resignation came into Hretick's mind as he had watched his team going down one by one. He sat in the speeder truck where in the back a small command center had been installed. One helmet-cam after another showed an irrelevant and unnecessary death. He sighed. _As expected… But it didn't had to end this way…_

With a loud crunch the back door of the truck was ripped away and folded like flimsiplast. When his eyes had adjusted to the light coming from the outside he saw a stormtrooper in black armor and a long black coat, pointing a blaster at him. Behind the trooper stood a large droid that still held the remnants of the door.

* * *

**AN:** So another chapter is fiisched, finally. So what awaits Tel and Arkyn at their next target? Will Aurelia accept the arrest of her friend and is she really a spy? All this and more in the next chapter.

In the meantime: Read, review and get a reply.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 – Closing the Circle**

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector

Planetary orbit – ISS _Indigo Maiden_

Tour +10 days, 7 hours

Caybasi was reading another report from one of the teams when the call came in. Since the attack on the planetary HQ Caybasi had preferred to work on one of the ships. It just felt safer. He pressed a few buttons, turned around and looked at the two small holographic figures that were standing on his desk. One of them was Operative Kaler Raum, an inquisitorial Investigator from the _Indigo Maiden_, the other one was a commando with the callsign Fouron.

"What do you have to report?" Caybasi asked.

"Well", Raum begun, "This private shipping company we searched… Like we suspected, it was a cover for the rebels to smuggle their goods around the sector without using slower shadow routes. With every branch office we search we find more dirt"

"Anything interesting this time?"

"Yes", Raum continued, "We have the logs of almost every ship. The local company's owner was _very_ cooperative after we 'convinced' him a little bit." A silent groan could be heard in the background. Fouron and Raum turned and looked at something outside the projector's range. "Also, we have confirmed rebel traffic routes to the planets C'tau III, Marol, Tytia 6 and the asteroids in the Reltek-Nebula. What bothers me is C'tau III."

_The main shipyards of this sector are in the C'tau-system_, Caybasi thought,_ Indeed, a rebel cell there is most alarming…_ "What about the other systems?"

"Tytia 6 is on the Vice-Admirals list as a probably rebel storage. I would say it's confirmed now. Marol has nothing exciting: Thick fog all day long, jungles and some millennia-old Jedi ruins. It's not even on the list. Same for the Reltek-Nebula: Attempted mining around 200PrE, but failed and abandoned shortly after."

Another groan could be heard. This time it was louder and more desperate. Raum sighed. "Can someone shut this guy up?" he shouted, "It's not that I tortured his family in front of him!"

Fouron raised a finger. "Well, actually…"

"I don't care!" Raum interrupted the commando, "Just shut him up!"

Fouron draw his blaster and shot at something outside of the projection, Raum winced. "Ah, kriff! What a mess!" he said and scratched his head, "Looks like we're finished here. I'll contact you again if we find something new, Lieutenant."

Caybasi nodded and the hologram disappeared. _I'll inform the Inquisitor about Tytia 6. Maybe our Dark Jedi can use this information. But what about the other systems? Perhaps the databank can help me…_

* * *

Cyphar – Middle Rim 

Capital City – 72nd Street Supply Depot

A few hours after the attack

The sun was standing now high in the sky. All remnants of the Rebel attack had vanished, but yet again, two persons neared the planetary commando HQ, again with the will to enter this facility by all means.

"I don't know if this is really a good idea" Dill asked while he and his best friend were moving through the back alley behind the depot.

"C'mon, Dill!" Aurelia said, "Lina is our friend! We both know that she is innocent and we owe it to her to get her out of there. Besides, it's not that we haven't done something like that before!"

"Yes, but those were the lairs of mad supervillains and not a command base of some high-level Imperial commandos! This is a military security zone! If they catch us here we are in real, real big trouble!"

"Don't be such a baby, Dill!" Aurelia insisted. "We will in and out again in no time! They won't even notice!"

Despite all her words, Dill remained nervous. Aurelia knew her words couldn't calm him down, but these words had also been necessary to convince herself, because Dill was right: This was a military zone. Unauthorised entering by civilians was a serious offence. And despite all her experience, she was just that – a civilian. _I'm doing this because Lina is my friend! She is no traitor and I will prove that!_

They reached a wall of the depot. Both teens were wearing black overalls together with boots and a utility belt that held several gadgets and other useful tools. A friend of them, who was a _very_ talented hacker, had not only extrapolated the location of the commandos' headquarters but also had found the blueprints of the building.

Both took the ascension guns from their belts and reached the roof-top of the building. They snuck to the ventilation shaft and vanished into the building.

The prison cells of the depot were no high security cells. They were just rooms with no windows and a lockable door. No sensors, scanners, holocams or automated sentry guns. They could hold a normal person, but someone with training, experience and enough skill could escape from there in no time. _If this Inquisitor really thinks that Lina is a rebels spy_, Aurelia wondered, _then why didn't he move her into one of those prison blocks onboard his ships?_

A ventilation shaft cover in a corridor near the cells fell, but was quickly caught by Aurelia's gloved hands. It was moved into the shaft and two young people jumped into the corridor. "Dill, you watch out!" Aurelia ordered and then she turned towards the cells. She quickly found Lina's cell and cracked the primitive lock within seconds.

A really surprised Lina jumped up from her flatbed, but was totally stunned when her best friend showed up in the door. Then, the tow girls fell into each other's arms.

"Aurelia!" Lina said under tears, "How did you…?"

Aurelia tried to calm her friend down. "Everything's all right. We'll get you out of here."

They were still hugging when Dill appeared in the door and cleared his throat. Both girls looked at him.

"I don't really want to disturb you", he said with a sheepish expression, "but…"

A soldier dressed with black Scout Trooper armor stepped in behind Dill. "…but since you got through all this trouble getting in here, we wanted to show you something!"

Lina gasped in shock and her face was full of fear, but Aurelia stood strong in front of her friend with a defiant look on her face. "Not necessary, sir." She said, "We were about to leave!"

"Please", the commando said and raised his Stormtrooper One blaster rifle, "I insist!" He pointed into the corridor.

* * *

Tytia-System – Tytia 6 

Behind the second moon – Lounge ISS _Generatión_

Tour +20 days, 12 hours

Arkyn found Tel in the lounge of the ship. His friend was staring outside the large window down to the brown, scarred surface of the moon. As Arkyn approached, Tel asked in a sad and resigned tone: "Why are we still waiting, Arkyn?" He turned around and looked at his fellow Dark Jedi. "Behind this moon is a planet with a Rebel storehouse. Nothing else. What are we waiting for?"

The small fleet had been here for almost two days. It had been the seventh target on their list. The Vice Admiral suspected a secret rebel warehouse on the sixth planet, since there had been a notable rebel freighter activity around it. What surprised Arkyn was the fact that all seven freighters that had neared the planet during their stay only had brief communication with the planet's base and then had hypered out again.

"You know the Inquisitor told us to wait", Arkyn replied. "After he got one of Caybasi's reports he told us that there might be something bigger in this system. He said he could feel it."

"He and his premonitions", Tel growled, "Maybe the only big thing here is the Rebel trap we have been expecting from day one! I say we attack the base and find out!"

Before Tel could storm out away, Arkyn interrupted him. "Maybe you are right", he said, "but there is another interesting fact."

Tel stopped. "What fact?" he asked.

"You remember that freighters that had come and left again, right? They all hypered out on different courses…" he called up a schematic on his datapad, "you can see that all these different routes cross in one point: Deep space ten light hours above this system's ecliptic."

Tel raised an eyebrow. "This might just be a coincident."

"Perhaps", Arkyn replied and shrugged, "But it's coincident enough to check it out."

* * *

Tytia-System – Ten light hours above the ecliptic 

(Secret) Rebel Shipyard – Bridge ISS _Generatión_

Tour +20 days, 16 hours

What they found was nothing spectacular: A Telgorn Corp. Repair Yard, an _Assassin_-class Corvette, four gun platforms and numerous containers. It had probably been used to build and repair smaller gunship- and corvette-sized vessels.

"Hokay, that wasn't on the list", Tel commented while he watched on the main screen how a squadron of Z-95 Headhunters was launched from the station, "But that is nothing that would blow away my mind."

"Sir, we're in attack position", Captain Morgos said.

Suddenly several alarms went off at the sensor station. Nest to the shipyard a large MonCal-Cruiser, two Nebulon-B frigates and a strange looking ship came out of the hyperspace. They were still too far away to be a threat for the Imperial ships, but it was clear that they were outgunned.

"Ship identified", the sensor officer shouted, "_Oceaborn_, MC-80 Star Cruiser!

Ship identified! _Inad_, Nebulon-B frigate!

Ship identified! _Thunderchild_, Nebulon-B frigate!

One unknown ship! Checking databanks…"

"Unknown ship?" Arkyn asked and turned towards the sensor station, "What the…"

He was interrupted when the _Generatión_ was shaken heavily, like it had been hit.

"What was that?" Arkyn, Tel and the Captain asked in unison.

"Gravity well!" another man said from the sensor station. "It looks like this unknown ship has gravity well projectors!"

"Confirmed!" the first sensor officer said, "Ship identified as _Sagina_, a Strike Cruiser outfitted with gravity well projectors which had been stolen from the Empire during the Airam Sector Campaign seven years ago."

"Now, _that's_ unexpected." Tel said.

"But it doesn't matter", Arkyn said confidently, "It just makes it easier for us. Open a channel to the _Prince of Time_!"

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector 

Capital City – 72nd Street Supply Depot

A few moments later

The Commando with the callsign Patcher led Aurelia, Dill and Lina deeper into the depot. Aurelia didn't like this. She still had her equipment and was ready to strike at the first opportunity. But she didn't want to risk the lives of her friends. That blaster rifle was definitely _not_ set on stun and attacking a member of the Imperial military forces was not something to be taken lightly. "Where are you taking us?" Aurelia asked.

"Command center", the commando soldier said. Aurealia noticed the high-nosed Core accent that made his Imperial Basic even more arrogant. "Since the Inquisitor awaited such a stupid rescue attempt from you", he continued, "He wanted you to see the end of this."

"Which would be?"

"Your doom, unless you stop lurking for opportunities to overwhelm me, understood?"

_So much for that plan…_ "Yes, sir." She growled.

They reached the command center. Four other commandos were already in there, three men and a woman. Three of them, including the woman, wore black Scout Trooper armor with different modifications. The last commando wore a black Stormtrooper armor with a black coat above it. All were looking at the giant screen.

It showed the corridors of the Palace. A person was walking along the corridor and had her back turned towards the camera, but Aurelia recognized the green and brown robes of Inquisitor Loam Redge. The screen was also covered with several status diagrams and somehow several objects along the corridor were automated targeted and analyzed by the camera. Also, the camera followed the Inquisitor and bounced up and down like someone was carrying it: It was a live-feed from the optical sensors of Lox, the Mark-XI Executioner gladiator/bodyguard droid of the Inquisitor.

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector 

Imperial Palace – Quarters

Same time

Loam Redge walked along the corridors until he had found his destination. He stopped in front of the door, typed in his priority code into the console and surprised the servant girl Irina Gels in her quarters. Surprised, the young woman turned around to the Inquisitor.

"I bid you dark greeting, my young servant", Redge said with a smile.

"Inquisitor! What brings you in here?"

"Most of all the fact, that my job here is complete."

"Really? I mean… Did you get the collaborators?"

Redge smiled again. "Yes. They… surrendered to us – from a certain point of view. Which means, that the rebel threat on Cyphar is reduced – drastically."

"That is… great!" She nervously followed the Inquisitor who wandered around in her quarter with her eyes. "Is there anything else?"

Redge looked up. "Yes, indeed, there is!" He continued to wander around, back into the position he had when he first had entered the room. "Did you notice that you actually fit in very well into our spy's profile? Stewardess and assistant computer technician onboard a roaming luxury liner until you stranded here a few months ago because you were infected with Bunkurd Sewer Disorder. But you quickly recovered and soon got a job in the palace."

"Well, a pure coincident" she said nervously. "And you already have your spy."

"Yes. But one fact qualifies you above all other:" his smile got even wider, "You're force-sensitive!"

Irina's face changed from nervousness and insecurity within a blink of an eye into grim and determination. "How long?" she asked with a strong voice.

"Since I met you for the first time, my young servant. I kind of have a sixth sense for something like this."

A bit of confusion appeared on her face. "Then why didn't you…"

"…arrest you?" Redge finished her question. "Simple: Why capture one spy when he – or she in your case – can bring me the whole rebel cell of Cyphar?

I toyed with you. You're not a talented hacker or infiltrator and you mind-manipulating abilities with the force a rather limited. I knew my new security measures would hinder you. To move freely around again you would either had to remove me or hand me over a potential spy. You did this my manipulating the holocams when the snuck around the palace a few days ago: You placed wrong evidences in _your_ room and also placed the tools we were looking for in _Lina's_ locker. You also manipulated the holocams so that you appeared as Lina on the tapes. Too bad for you that it took only seconds for my slicers to crack your code.

It really surprised me that you picked someone like Lina. Sending a young innocent girl into a slow painful death seems not to be very Jedi-like."

Irina opened her hand and out of the closet a small cylinder-shaped tube flew into her hand. She pressed the switch and the lightsaber activated its green blade. "She is no victim!" Irina said with fierce belief in her voice. "This war should never have been fought! But you tortured and killed her!"

Redge raised an eyebrow. He was hardly surprised. Then he shook his head. "Only to convince you that you decoy worked. In your plans she would have died insisting on her innocence and with this convincing us she was a well-trained rebel spy. But I spared her live. She lives and I suppose she is watching the whole scene right now!"

Irina's face was still filled with determination, but within her, Redge could feel her doubts and confusion growing. He had her cornered. _Time to continue. Keep her focused on me!_ "When you had offered me a potential traitor but I still didn't reduce the security you grew impatient. You had to remove me, so you ordered the rebels to attack my command base – whose address you had only gotten for this purpose – where we already awaited them."

Redge took his own lightsaber out of his robes and activated the red blade of the standardised hilt. He held it down, next to his body.

Irina focused on the blade, but her confidence grew again. "You cannot beat me! I know your official dossier: You're a great detective, but you're not a swordsman!"

Redge allowed himself a new smile. _Game Over._ "You know, my young servant, you are absolutely right!"

Nobody ever noticed the droid. Droids are so common in the galaxy and considered as second-class-beings, that no one ever pays much attention to them. Of, course, everybody knows battle droids. Everybody knows that they can be equipped with deadly weapons – but they are just _droids_.

Lox unleashed his deadly cargo – but killing was not his intention: Death was finite, but that line could be crossed any time – not now.

In his torso were two integrated grenade launcher, one in each half of the chest. One fired a sonic grenade, the other one a flash bang.

Lox was a gladiator droid. Like his predecessor, the Mark-X-Executioner, he carried many different weapon systems, but his model had all of them integrated in two arms instead of ten. He carefully chose which ones he would use to please his master:

Neuronic whip: The thin metal cord slashed around the girl's saber hand and sent a high-voltage-energy burst through her body. Her weapon fell on the ground.

Light Repeating Blaster: Useful for every combat. The stun-mode he used was not part of his original construction, but a useful upgrade added by the Inquisitor. The rapid fire and high spreading rate was very helpful against lightsaber defences.

Sonic Blaster: Instead of charged plasma, this weapon would fire sonic waves. The setting ranged from simple stunning to brining down a house. Lox chose the first option.

All weapons were fired at once. Irina was completely taken by surprise. Despite the training she received, she was taken out within a second. But the force was with her – partly. Instinctively she raised her arms to protect her body and projected a small shield with the force. She absorbed the different energies pointed at her, which allowed her to stay conscious for a splinter of a second longer than any other human would.

Some of these weapons, especially the sonic ones, had a certain radius so that they would also affect the Inquisitor. Lox knew this, but as did the Inquisitor. Knowing what was about to come, Redge had used the force to protect himself from any damage.

The deactivated lightsaber fell on the ground next to its owner's body. Redge waved with his hand to move away some smoke. "Nice work, Lox."

"No problem, Master Redge."

The Inquisitor sighed. "Inform Commander Jex that we have a pick-up at the palace. Let's hope there's enough left of her that can be interrogated.

* * *

Tytia-System – Ten light hours above the ecliptic 

Rebel Trap – Bridge ISS _Prince of Time_

Tour +20 days, 16 hours

The blue-glowing vortex of the hyperspace disappeared and the bridge of the mighty Star Destroyer was shaken heavily as the interdiction field brought the ship back into reality.

Commander Farah looked out of the view ports of her ship. Below her, the wedge-shaped fuselage of her _Imperial II_-class destroyer pointed towards the rebel fleet. Flanking her ship were two _Broadside_-class cruisers, filled with hundreds of concussion missiles and proton torpedoes – and a special kind of missile.

The two Strike Cruisers and the _Lancer_-frigate was no match for the big MonCal ship, but with the arrival of the _Prince of Time_, things now looked different. Commander Farah opened a comm-channel to the commanding ship.

"This is Commander Farah of the _Prince of Time_ calling the _Generatión_!"

"This is Captain Morgos of the _Generatión_. I'm really glad you're here, Commander."

"With this interdiction field you're hard to miss, Captain."

A new, younger voice appeared in the channel: "Cut the formalities for later, we have a big fish coming our way!"

"Confirmed." Farah said, "Slow down and wait for us. We'll attack them together."

The Strike Cruisers slowed down and their starfighters formed a screen around them. Meanwhile, three squadrons of TIE Defenders and another three squadrons of Xg-1 StarWings came out of the _Prince of Time_'s hangar bay. The Defenders headed forward to protect the Strike Cruisers, while the StarWings formed a formation above the bow of the Star Destroyer. The rebels were not lazy, either. The ships turned around. The big MonCal was flanked by the two frigates, while the corvette stayed back with the _Sagina_, which moved slowly left behind the large cruiser, like a young sea creature was following its mother. Nothing less than nine complete squadrons of A-, B-, X- and Y-Wings, Headhunters and R-41 Starchasers came out of the capital ship's hangars.

When the two Strike Cruisers had joined the Star Destroyer, the Imperial formation was ready: The giant wedge-shaped destroyer as the center, flanked by the two _Broadside_s and the two Strikes with the _Lancer_ as the first defence-line.

The first shots were fired by the rebels: The primary heavy turbolasers of the Nebulon-Bs fired rapid salvos towards the Strikes, seeing them as the biggest threat (after the Star Destroyer, of course). Then the forwards batteries of the Strikes answered: four medium quad turbolaser batteries on each ship delivered an Alpha Strike towards the Calamari Cruiser.

Commander Farah looked at the approaching fleet. The MonCal did hold back, as did she. All expandable energy was currently transferred into her eight heavy octuple turbolaser cannons. All she had to do was to wait for the right moment.

"Status of the warhead launchers?" she asked.

Captain Khaleena, her first officer, answered: "All forward launcher have been armed with standard CM-5s, Commander."

"Good." She thought for a moment. _I'm not here to win, just to get them out of here. The interdictor is the key. I have to… Wait, the starfighters! Take them out of the picture. Force them back… Okay, this should work…_ She raised her head again. The Nebulons and the Strikes were still firing and exchanging first salvos. "Target the upper right hull of the Calamari. A full Turbolaser salvo, followed by the missiles. I want this coordinated with the _Broadside_s, understood?

"Aye, Commander!"

"Open a channel to the _Generatión_!"

* * *

Tytia-System – Ten light hours above the ecliptic 

Rebel Trap – Bridge ISS _Generatión_

Tour +20 days, 16 hours

"Understood, Commander" Arkyn said after the Chalactan Commander had told him her plan. _She is good, _he thought, _But then again, she has more experience…_

Another turbolaser hit the ship.

"Another salvo!" Tel ordered, "Crack the shields of this fish!"

Arkyn ran to the starfighter station. "Gamma back into the hangar!" he ordered. "Alpha and Beta stay on space superiority, but should prepare for an immediate landing!"

* * *

Tytia-System – Ten light hours above the ecliptic 

Rebel Trap – Bridge ISS _Prince of Time_

Tour +20 days, 16 hours

"We are building up the energy-pressure in the main sublight-drives", Captain Khaleena said, seemingly concerned, "but we are reaching critical mass."

"Stand by", Farah ordered, "Primary turbolaser, open fire!"

A thunder rolled through the ship as eight heavy octuple turbolaser turrets released their supercharged loading all at the same time. Sixty-four green lances of superheated plasma raced against the shields of the Mon Calamari Cruiser _Oceanborn_ and nearly cracked its shields. But the Mon Calamari ships were known for their strong shields. This small skirmish again showed, why.

But that wasn't everything the Imperials had to offer: Soon after the salvo hit and before the cruiser could respond, the _Prince of Time_ and the two _Broadside_-cruisers released over hundred CM-5 concussion missiles, all targeted at the same area.

Particle shield were something different than energy shields, so the missiles hit an undamaged shield. Rebel starfighters, especially the A-Wings, retreated from their attack vectors and went after the missiles, more or less successfully incepting them on their way towards the cruiser.

Again, heavy turbolasers fired. But this time, it was the Calamari Cruiser. The red energy beams were less powerful than the imperial green ones, but Imperial shields were weaker, too. Supercharged like the Star Destroyer's salvo, the lasers ripped the frontal shield of the Star Destroyer out of existence.

Now the floodgates had been opened and a firework of green and red fire broke out between the two behemoths.

Three squadrons of Xg-1 StarWing Assault Gunboats, now escorted by a squadron of the _Prince of Time_'s Defenders, ascended over the Star Destroyer, ready to hit the damaged Cruiser from above. But they waited – not drawing any attention towards them.

Another rocket salvo was released from the capital ships, targeted at the same area. In the chaos of deadly laser beams and under the watchful eyes of the rebel pilots, even less missiles than before hit their target, but it was enough to break the shields.

Meanwhile, a deadly dance began between Rebel starfighters and Imperial TIE Defenders around the tow Strike Cruisers. Fortunately for the Empire, the quad lasers of the frigate _Caleidoscope_ proved deadly for the Rebels.

"Front shields are down", Khaleena reported, "Energy level in the sublight drives now at one hundred and twenty percent!"

"Stand…" Something hit the superstructure of the Star Destroyer just below the bridge. Farah and Khaleena fell on the ground as well as a lot of other bridge personnel.

"Transfer shield energy!" Farah ordered. "Take our back shields!"

"Shouldn't we turn the ship?" Khaleena asked.

"No! We need to stay on course!"

"Aye, commander." Khaleena leaned over a console to give the orders. "_Dragonheart_ and _Moon Herald_ are now switching to alternate armament!"

"Then so are we. Load the _Morrt_-Missiles!"

"Aye…" Another hit, this time even closer to the bridge.

The third salvo of missiles was on its way, this time combined with seventy-two proton torpedoes of the assault gunboats. But this time, despite the best efforts of the rebel pilots, more than half of the warheads arrived at their designated target area. But only a few detonated. The rest simply seemed to vanish in the giant ship. Receiving serious damage, the commander of the Calamari Cruiser ordered all his starfighters to cover and protect the ship. He also ordered to pull his ship up to bring the damaged part of the hull out of the line of fire.

"Target hit", Khaleena reported, seeing the movement of the cruiser, "And delivery was successful: We're receiving multiple signals. Enemy fighters are retreating!"

"Then the battle is over", Farah said with a relief in her voice, "Contact the other ships and give us full sublight speed!"

"Aye, Sir!"

"And charge up the heavy turrets for another salvo!"

The energy pressure built up in the main sublight drives was released within one second. From one moment to another, energy floated out of the thrusters as if the engines would be running with hundred and fifty percent. Of course it took some time to bring a ship as big as the _Prince of Time_ on ramming speed, but nonetheless, the Star Destroyer accelerated much faster than usual – directly towards the big Calamari Cruiser.

Despite what some people think, these rebels were not stupid. They reacted like any normal person would when a 1.6 kilometre ship was heading directly towards them: They run away. The two Nebulon-Bs and the Cruiser pulled up and accelerated to maximum. But the Star Destroyer did not make any attempts to follow them – on the contrary: When it was close enough to the Cruiser, the Star Destroyer made an evade manoeuvre to the left and a barrel roll to point it's nearly undamaged upper shields towards the MonCal.

The starfighters and the other imperial ships on the other hand, took a different approach: Turning their course at ninety degrees, they used the Star Destroyer as a shield and fled the area as fast as they could.

The Star Destroyer and the MonCal were now so close together that you might think their shields had touched. Several people on the Destroyer's bridge instinctively ducked when the lower side of the Cruiser nearly rammed the bridge tower. The ships were still exchanging broadsides, but the _Oceanborn_ had a clear advantage: Because of its design it could point multiple medium and light turbolaser and ion cannons at the _Prince of Time_, while the Star Destroyer could only use two triple medium turbolasers – the heavy batteries were still charging.

B-Wings and Y-Wings returned from their guarding position over the damaged section and flew close over the Cruiser to attack the Destroyer, now unprotected of any fighters. But the two large capital ships were too close so that the sensors of the fighters could only identify both as _one_ target. Several torpedoes hit the Destroyer, but not less also hit the Cruiser. Dumb firing was the key in this situation, but only a few pilots got the idea. When they were finally ready to fire a coordinated salvo, the _Prince of Time_ had surrounded the _Ocanborn_ far enough to make a clear shot at its target.

The Modified Strike Cruiser _Sagina_ was hit – like the _Oceanborn_ had been before – by sixty-four supercharged turbolaser beams. Not as charged as the salvo that had hit the MonCal and not as precise – but it was still more than enough to cripple the shields and rip its hull away. With a good part of its nose gone, a few ion shots were enough to disable the _Sagina_ before the escorting Corvette could even react.

The interdiction field was gone and before the rebel commander could adapt to the new situation, all imperial ships activated their hyperdrives – as if they had just waited for this to happen – and disappeared into another dimension.

* * *

Deep space – Dolkar Sector 

50 lightyears outside the Tytia-System – Bridge ISS _Generatión_

Tour +20 days, 17 hours

"A nice manoeuvre you pulled there." Arkyn said to Commander Farah over the holocom.

"Thank you, Sir" was her polite answer, but Arkyn could feel a certain disgust even over the com-channels. She didn't like it to take orders from someone who was just old enough to be her son or even grandson. "By the way, your manoeuvre was interesting, too: Using Diamond Boron Missile to place spy droids onboard enemy ships. I never would have gotten such an idea. I really hope that works."

"I hope so, too", Arkyn said, "They haven't moved yet, so you can't be sure, but the _Morrt_-droids will do their job. Usually you can rely on Admiral Zsinj's projects."

"We'll see. What are your orders?"

Arkyn thought for a moment. There were still a few targets left on the list, but now it was sure the rebels would wait for them. And they had what they had been coming for: A (hopefully) solid trace to the main rebel base. Eliminating the remaining satellite bases would be a job for the Vice-Admiral. For them, it was time to go home.

"Collect all starfighters and then set course to your fleet base", he ordered, "We'll return to Cyphar."

"Yes, Sir."

* * *

Marol – Dolkar Sector 

Jedi Citadel – Archives

Afternoon

_He had selected three students that would soon follow him on another holy mission. They were the strongest of the clan and the only ones worthy enough to escort him: Laros Ben, Nieron and Belran Ka'tas._

He called up another holographic set of Rakatan runes.

_As you can see here, he said, you have to visit each of the five surrounding temples before you can enter the main temple that will hold the 'Eye'. I have acquired the key for the main temple during my mission on Cyphar, but the others may still be inside the other temples._

"Actually, you can interpret it in a different was, too" a young female voice said behind him.

_Farmgirl? What are you doing here?_

"Studying, Master", she replied, confused. "What else are the archives for? But on your runes: Some of them have an ambiguous meaning. You could interpret the text so that…"

_Framgirl, Farmgirl, Farmgirl, he interrupted her. Tell me: The weak teaching the strong. What is wrong with that picture?_

"Master, I only wanted…"

_You only wanted to help me? Me, a Jedi more powerful than anything you will ever achieve in you sorry existence? Touching, but unnecessary. Now go, take another training run or try to do something useful, but do not ever interrupt us with your pitiful intellect again!_

Embarrassed, humiliated and ashamed, Farmgirl bowed her head and left the room.

"She never learns", Nieron, the Zabrak commented.

"I wonder why the old Master picked her up anyway" the Bothan Belran asked.

_Because at this times, we need numbers more than anything else. It disgusts me to have such a weakling around that calls herself good enough to be a Jedi, but we all have to make some sacrifices as a Jedi. But let us come back to our expedition. I'll have to make some more researches here, but can already prepare the_ Winter Lake.

"Excuse me, Master", Laros Ben asked, "But didn't master Aqinos ground you because something went wrong on Cyphar?"

_Let this be of my concern._

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thnaks to enyone for the reviews so far. I hope the next chapter will be up soon. In the meantime, enjoy this new chapter and send a review. Thnaks. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 – Summary**

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector

ISS _Black Citadel_ – Interrogation chambers

Early Morning

Irina had recovered very fast. After a few hours in a bacta tank, nearly all of her wounds had healed. But thanks to some very effective sedates, she had been unconscious all the time. The first things she saw after her small fight in the palace was the fear-inspiring black orb of an imperial IT-3 interrogation droid while she was shackled to an upright rack.

"The IT-3 is really effective when it come to break a victim, my young servant" she heard the smoky voice of Loam Redge. "They were designed after the infamous Old Republic G0-T0 Environment planning system that had been responsible for several droid uprisings over four thousand years ago. It similar design should inspire fear, but meanwhile, they have earned their own reputation. In most of the cases, the sheer presence of such a droid fears a prisoner into confession.

You, my young servant, are force-sensitive. I have experience with your kind. Breaking you is really an interesting game. Unfortunately in your case, we don't have so much time, so I will have to be a little bit more… direct!"

The droid hovered away and made room for the Inquisitor in front of Irina. The friendly expression of his face that he always showed to the public was gone. Now there was only grim determination, a bit of insanity and a touch of the dark side. Redge could feel her fear. The whole chamber was filled with it. Fear and pain and desperation. Even the two Navy Trooper guards at the door could feel it, and they were not even force-sensitive.

He raised his hands and trapped Irina's head between them. He didn't touch her head physically, but with the force he reached inside it. Irina could feel it, too. She panicked, struggled against the shackles and screamed, but to no avail. The scream of panic turned into agony as Redge reached her mind.

_Yes__…_

_Now we are one, my young servant, you can't hide anything from me…_

_Let us get started: Who is leading the Rebellion?_

…_Iran…Kalamar…_

_Very good. You see, it isn't that hard._

_Where are you hiding? Marol? Reltek?_

Unable to resist, Redge found the information. Hidden behind useless layers of defiance and willpower, he found one crest, containing everything he wanted.

_Yes! Open it…_

The crest opened and a wonderful light engulfed him.

_Beautiful…_

But as he saw how the light spread out, he could see turmoil and storms rising in the light. What had once been pure and clean turned into a firestorm of destruction, mixed with a cry of pain that brought Redge back into reality.

He stumbled back as Irina jerked in her shackles. The cry came from the pain as her memories burned up the nerves in her brain. Redge acted instinctively as he used the force to pull a DH-17 blaster pistol from one of the guards into his hands. He set it on stun and shot Irina in the chest. The screaming stopped.

_Force-induced mind barriers? Interesting, but that might have fried her mind…_

His comlink beeped. It was Lieutenant Caybasi. "Inquisitor", he said, "I have just received a report that our fleet has successfully arrived in the Tytia-System."

"Very good, Lieutenant", Redge replied, "Tell them to…" Just then another thought crossed his mind. "Tell them to wait. Tell them that they will find something bigger."

"Yes, Sir." Caybasi might have been curious about this order, but his voice didn't show it. He knew better than to question orders that weren't of his concern.

"Anything else, Lieutenant?"

"No, Sir, that was… Oh, wait!" There were a few moments of silence. "A report from the planet: It's from a certain Dr Far-Glermin. About the Jedi our troops met on Lirax-II. I'll send someone to fetch it."

"That won't be necessary, Lieutenant", Redge interrupted the young man, "I'll go there myself."

"As you wish, Inquisitor. I'll send you the address." With these words the conversation was ended.

Redge looked at the stunned body of Irina while he put his comlink away. _I'll do it myself; I need something to cheer me up._ He turned towards the Navy guard, gave him back his blaster and told him to get the girl into sick bay. Both guards saluted and got to work. _And judging from the rumours I have heard, this will be the right place…_

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector 

COMPNOR Medical Research Center – Labs (Xenobiological part)

A few ours later

The clerk led Redge deeper into the facility. It was a long, clinical clean corridor. The walls and ground were flagged and along the walls was a continuous dull mirror. The light was dampened, giving the whole installation a grey and frightening atmosphere, like a nightmare. What Redge had seen so far in this installation were several different non-humans in different states of dissection and/or experimental phases. _A really… lovely place. I was right to go here. And you, my friend Xarot, you would be in heaven here._

They reached the visitor's platform of another medical lab. From the windows he could see several doctors and assistants working on another subject – a Gotal. The head of the alien had been opened and the doctors were working with drills and probes on the open brain. The Gotal was shackled to the operating table, but his hands and feet were jerking and flinching every time a medical instrument was inserted.

Another assistant entered the room and said something to one of the doctors. The doctor – a woman in mask, goggles and coat looked up to him, said something to one of the other doctors and then left the room together with the assistant.

_Mental blockades in Irinas mind. I bet she __even didn't know about them._ He had tried to reach the memories of Marol or Reltek, but a mental blockade coursed more and more damage to her brain cells. He had tried to break these barriers, but they were strong. _Stronger than anything Irina might be able to. They had been implanted in case of capture… Wise. Hopefully this trace will be more resourceful – but I doubt it._

The doctor entered the visitor's platform. Without all the necessary clothing for the operation he could see the middle-aged but still beautiful woman. The resemblance to her daughter was indeed as strong as he had been told. She looked like an older version of Aurelia. "Thank you, Dr Glermin", Redge begun, "That you have found time for me."

"I'm always glad to help, Inquisitor Redge." Redge could feel a certain dislike coming from the doctor. _Maybe the fact that I arrested and tortured her daughter's best friend …_ "I think you are here because of the 'subject' you sent me", she continued.

"You are correct, doctor."

She took out a datapad off her jacket. "There wasn't much left to analyse" She begun.

_No, just a head and a few limbs__. But it was worth a try._

"But thanks to the rarity of the Tarro species we could find some details in the databank. His name was Iranak Irasakara from Seltos. Born Two years PostEmp, but he vanished two years ago together with his ship, an old _Redthorn_-scout. That is everything." With that she handed him over the datapad that contained the information. Despite the dislike she had, she had been honest. Redge thanked her and left the installation again.

_It was w__orth a try. Maybe Caybasi has found anything interesting in the reports of our agents. In any case, we need more information. Some recon mission will be helpful…_

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector 

Imperial Palace – Moff Giron Lar's office

Two days after the return of the fleet

Arkyn and Tel were again in their Royal Guard disguise and witnessed the conversation between Inquisitor Loam Redge and the Moff. The longer he heard the Moff talking, the more Arkyn felt the urge to draw his blaster and shoot in the face of this fat arrogant bureaucrat. But what surprised him was that Tel still stood next to him flanking the door. He would have bet that his fellow Dark Side Elite would have sliced up the Moff five minutes after the conversation had started.

"This sector is crawling with Rebels, my dear Moff!" the Inquisitor said in a very angry voice, "My agents have discovered at least seven different rebel cells on as many planets. Some weren't even hard to find! As the official governor of this sector, it is your duty to be aware and eradicate any rebel threats! But you did nothing!"

The Moff sat in his chair, smiling at the Inquisitor and had his hands lying on his large belly. He seemed to enjoy the anger of the Inquisitor – although Arkyn could feel that much of this anger was only acted – and the Moff's responses were always kind and calm.

"Inquisitor Redge, the Rebellion died six years ago at Endor. What we have here are just some unsatisfied punks. I knew about them: The Vice-Admiral always bugged me with his list of 'rebel' targets in this sector. He always wanted to destroy them." He shook his head. "He couldn't think of nothing but his precious starships and violence. Violence, Inquisitor, Violence! What nonsense.

See, the 'rebels' and I had some unspoken agreement: As long as I leave them alone, they'll leave me alone. They played their little war games outside my jurisdiction and everyone was happy."

"And the attack on the palace was…?"

"…Retaliation, Inquisitor Redge", he finished the Redge's question. "Retaliation for you, Inquisitor!"

"Could you be so nice and explain this, my dear Moff?"

"Like I said before, Inquisitor", the Moff said very friendly, "We have here an unofficial agreement to leave the other side alone. But then you had your troops sniffing around; you even dared to come here in person. It was only natural that they felt threatened and stroke back!" He sighed and looked down. "I fear that with your little 'tour' you might have provoked another reaction of the rebels – not that I can blame them for that."

"I wonder how you would think of your actions when the Rebellion and their Jedi allies…"

"Jedi, please!" Moff Gar interrupted Redge, "The Jedi had been extinct even longer than the Rebellion. These so-called sightings you came here for are nothing but rumours or some weirdos with some tricks you could buy for ten creds on the holonet. Don't embarrass yourself!"

_Th__is guy has some serious guts_, Arkyn thought, _or he is just plain stupid._ He watched how a person that was now surely just one word away from a long vacation on Kessel could still manoeuvre himself into more trouble.

"You came here and brought nothing but trouble with you", the Moff continued, "If I were you I would get over my paranoid feeling of some long-extinct cultists, grab my fleet and ran back to the Deep Core where I belong. Out here, outside your precious Core, we can handle the situation on our own. Let the people who know their stuff do their jobs!"

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector 

_Endless Submission_, Salon – en route to ISS _Black Citadel_

An hour later

"Do you believe this guy?" Tel complained. They were sitting in the salon – which had the same depressing ambience as its larger counterpart on the _Citadel_. "'Let people do this who know what to do!'" he mocked, "Man, _WE_ are these people!"

Inquisitor Redge joined them, leaving Lox to pilot the ship. "Replacing him now would only alert the rebels. But after all this is over – lax security, ignoring rebel threats, blocking necessary military operations: That all comes close enough for treason."

"Even if it's only because of plain stupidity", Arkyn added.

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector 

ISS Black Citadel – Planning Room

A few hours later

The room here was much larger than the one of the planetary headquarter on Cyphar: Several ascending rows of benches, multiple holoprojectors, holonet ports and, most importantly, a continuous flow of caf from the ship's cantina.

Although there was room for a lot of persons, only a few were here, assembled in a loose group in the center of the first two rows: Vice-Admiral LeFey Gordon and his adjutant, Tel Vynkar, Arkyn Medor, Inquisitor Loam Redge, Lox and Commander Jex. At the central lectern Lieutenant Jaios Caybasi had a last look at his report before he finally dimmed the light and activated the holoprojector. As he spoke, diagrams, pictures and datafiles appeared in the air, always fitting to the current subject.

"Since our fleet has successfully returned from its little tour" he begun, "and most of our Operative/Commando-teams are also back home, it is time to summarize our recent results. We all know that this sector is crawling with rebels. Not only numerous Rebel Cells, as our teams have discovered, but also the main Rebellion!"

Before someone could bring up the fact that the Rebellion had been destroyed at Endor, Caybasi raised his hand and continued: "We all know about Endor, but we also know that some Rebel Splinter Cells had not been present at Endor. One of these Cells, let by a certain Iran Kalamar, was able to bring many of these remaining cells together, so we can speak of a new 'main' Rebellion. That explained the large concentration of Rebel spaceships the Vice-Admiral had discovered over the few months.

The Rebels we have captured could not provide us with any information about the fleet, but from the material we have we can assume at least four full battle lines!"

_T__hat means twelve heavy cruisers and dozens smaller ships, if we are lucky, _Arkyn thought_, and in a worst-case all these twelve are heavy MonCals._

"Commander of the fleet is probably a certain Mon Calamari named Tixel. He is a decorated Rebel hero and has fought at Turkana and Vallusk, but his fleet got separated from the main Rebel fleet after Hoth. An Imperial Battle Squadron chased him to the Outer Rim where he then fought a private war until he and his fleet vanished three years ago. His flagship happens to be the _Oceanborn_, so we are lucky that he didn't shred our fleet at Tytia."

"We weren't there to win anyway", Tel commented.

"Yes", Caybasi continued, "You were there to place the _Morrt_-class spy droids onboard the Rebel ship. We have already received multiple signals that suggest that the droids have already spread on numerous ships. Admiral Gordon, your job is it now to destroy all remaining targets on your list. I assume that you have already taken of this."

"I have", the Vice-Admiral said, "As we speak several Squadrons destroy every known Rebel hideout in this sector."

"And with every known destroyed", Caybasi continued, "The droids will lead us towards the unknown – which brings us to the suspicious places: C'tau III, Marol and the Reltek-Nebula.

C'tau III harbours the main shipyards of the sector. Judging from the material we have found we suspect a Rebel cell on the shipyards. The team consisting of Operative Raum and the Commandos Sixtee and Fouron had been nearby. They will infiltrate the shipyards and take a look around.

The Reltek-Nebula is a place with numerous young and proto-stars, an ideal place to hide a fleet. More interesting is an asteroid field in the nebula. There had been mining activity around two hundred years PreEmp, but it was abandoned after a few years. The asteroids are therefore an ideal hiding place.

Marol had once been a Jedi Academy until the New Sith Wars. During the days of the Old Republic, there had been several archaeological expeditions, as well as under the Empire. The last one was seven years ago. The Vice-Admiral has prepared recon-operations for both Reltek and Marol."

"Commander Jex", Inquisitor Redge said, "You will join the recon mission on Marol and search the old Jedi ruins. Maybe you will find anything interesting."

"We have detailed maps of that place, Inquisitor", Admiral Gordon said, "I'm pretty sure there's nothing. A space-recon would be enough.

"Well, I don't think so, Admiral", Redge replied, "Jex will join this mission."

Gordon shrugged. "Whatever you say, Inquisitor." He then tossed a datapad to Jex. "The recons start from the _Thunderous_. You better report there."

Jex caught the datapad and looked at it, then at the Inquisitor.

"Alright, Jex", Redge said, "You may leave."

Jex nodded and then left the room.

"We now come to the leaders of the Rebellion", Caybasi continued with his speech, "The leader is, as I have mentioned before, a certain Iran Kalamar. He was born on Alderaan in thirty PreEmp and had two sons, born in five PreEmp and one PostEmp. He worked in the shipping company of his father until nineteen PostEmp. When Alderaan was… pacified in that year, his family died, except for his older son. Both had been off-planet at this point. They both joined the Rebellion, but Iran soon advanced a more… drastic view on how to fight the Empire. He gathered a few followers, namely Boc Seclam and Tailamur, who became his most trusted advisors. But the numbers of their followers was never really large and there were hardly any connection with the main Rebellion under Mon Mothma. His movement therefore never played a larger role in the Civil War."

"What about his son?" Redge asked.

"He never had such drastic point of view like his father. He remained with the main Rebellion and became a starfighter pilot, stationed onboard the cruiser _Reef Home_. The cruiser participated in the Battle of Endor. The loss of his second son made Iran hate the Empire even more. He now wants to kill everybody who supports the Empire and with that he means everybody who has 'Imperial Citizen' written on his ID."

"That's almost the whole galaxy!" Arkyn said in disbelief, "Is he crazy?"

"Pht! Fanatics", Tel commented.

"Indeed", Caybasi said, "Intelligence reports on him suspect a slight mental disorder. But he is in good company: Boc Seclam, a Twi'lek, was once a leader of his clan on Ryloth. But due to a series of strange events that included the imperial governor, a rival clan, crime lords, several droids and a Bantha (don't ask), he suddenly found himself exiled and his daughter as the governor's personal masseuse. He blamed the Empire for all this, joined the Rebellion and later Kalamar's group.

The third one in this illustrious group is a Stenax named Tailamur. As all Senax, he is violent, ill-tempered and one of the few that had left their homeworld. Not much is known about him, except that he was a soldier for the Rebellion, until he was kicked out for displaying too much violence, namely wiping out an entire village to kill one potential imperial spy. He then joined Kalamar's group and later became one of his advisors."

"Who lets people like this out of the nuthouse?" Tel asked.

"This is a large galaxy, Tel", Arkyn replied, "Everything is possible."

"Fortunately", Caybasi said, "We have now the potential to eliminate him and his cell once and for all. All known cells and hideouts are destroyed or soon will be. All remaining secret places will be revealed soon. We just have to be patient and be on our guard. Maybe our dear Moff was right and he will attack soon."

"I have increased the patrols and the alert-level on all bases and ships", Gordon said, "We will be ready!"

"What about the Jedi?" Inquisitor Redge asked.

"They are another interesting fact. Other than we had suspected at first, there seems to be a secret cell of Jedi in this sector. So far we know of three, Irina from the palace, the Tarro from Lirax-II and the mysterious one that had wiped out Loco's platoon. We don't know about more, but it is a safe bet to say that we will see more. Like the Rebel fleet, they come from all over the galaxy, Kailion and Seltos in our cases. We suspect that Kalamar has some sort of Jedi-detecting device or even a real Jedi from the old Order."

"Whoa, wait a second", Arkyn interrupted, "A real Jedi? Isn't that a little bit far-fetched?"

"As far-fetched as anything else we have about this matter. It is one theory among many."

"Anyway", Tel said towards the Inquisitor, "It seems like someone at the Inquisitorius hasn't done his job."

"Indeed", Redge replied, ignoring the mocking, "I will mention this fact once we have returned to the Core."

"In the meantime", Caybasi continued, "all we can do is waiting. The droids and the recon missions – all this requires a certain amount of time. I'll inform you once we know anything new."

"And what should we do in this time?" Tel asked, "Sit around and do nothing?"

"Not at all", Caybasi said with a smile, "The carrier _Tome of Horrors_ has arrived from the Deep Core to replace our recent losses. You can help to work the new soldiers in. Also, your fighters as well as the capital ships require maintenance after all these battles and…"

"Alright, alright", Tel interrupted him, "I had to ask, hadn't I?"

* * *

**AN**: It seems like the Rebellion has to make the next move. But hopefully they will do it before Tel starts a killing spree. But don't worry, the Rebellion has a plan. Trybokk wants his revenge and the mysterious Jedi wants his Rakatan artefacts. So in the next chapter it's Jedi and Rebellion! In the meantime, enjoy this chapter, read, review and get a reply. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 – Jedi and Rebellion**

Marol – Dolkar Sector

Swamps – some kilometres south of the old Jedi Citadel

Early Morning

Commander Jex left his starfighter, a standard V-38 Sentinel Starfighter. Not that he would need its firepower, just the hyperdrive. He looked around, but he didn't see much. He had landed in a small swamp, deep enough to hide the starfighter's heat signature, but not so deep that he had to swim. _The reports had been right_, he thought, _this is one thick jungle!_ The trees reach up several dozen meters in the sky and thick, white fog was everywhere. Again, he looked around. It would take hours to cloak the ship. But that was alright. He had enough time. Nothing to worry about. _Just get in there, find some answers and get out. If possible, capture a living subject. Simple mission._ He opened the cargo hold of the fighter and took out a camouflage net which he would put over the V-38. Then he picked up his equipment and vanished into the jungle.

* * *

Marol – Dolkar Sector

Outside the Citadel – Training path

Early Morning

Another day had risen over the hidden valley of the Jedi Citadel. Once this street that now served as training path had been a place of glory and light, but now – like the Jedi Order – it drifted into shadows and oblivion, only remembered and used by those who live in the shadows themselves.

Her long brown hair was tied back into a ponytail. Her green eyes focused were focused on her target, her next obstacle. Her seventeen-year-old body was covered with sweat, a sign of her struggle. Her clothes, top and slacks, stuck on her skin, soaked with her sweat. Her bare feet moved swiftly and stood firm. Her face showed determination and eagerness.

_He watched with interest as Farmgirl ran over the path, exhausted and tired. She pushed herself, never satisfied with her results. Over and over again, only to fail another time. He could only shake his head. Why can't some people accept their fate as inferiors?_

_He stepped towards her. Why do you do this to yourself, he asked her._

"Do what?" she asked, panting.

_To push yourself. You are weak in the force, Farmgirl. You can never be as strong as a Jedi should be._

_Her face became__ darker, it showed anger, disgust. So close to falling. She isn't pure._

"I may not be strong in the Force, but if you give me a chance, I can prove you that I am equal to everyone in this clan! Not everything is about the force…"

_Oh, but it is, Farmgirl, he interrupted her, Everything is about the force! The Force creates life. Without it, there would be nothin__g – we would be nothing. So only the way you are connected to the force – and how strong this connection is – can determine how you are suited as a servant of the Force – as a Jedi. Never forget this, Farmgirl!_

_The answer is everything and would be enough for any Jedi, but not for her. She asks too many questions, she can't accept her place._

"Why do you call me Farmgirl anyway? I have a name!"

_I call with that name because it suits you. It defines what you are!_

_Confusion on her face. Why can't she understand?_

"But I'm from Garos IV, a planet of teaching and technology and…"

_But my dear Farmgirl, this name has nothing to do with your __homeland. It describes what you would be if the galaxy would still be in order. The Jedi are guardians of peace, justice and order. And we need strong guardians. People like you are too weak to become a guardian yet too dangerous to be left out of control. This is why you are called Farmgirl. You would never have become a Jedi but only a part of the Agricultural Corps – A place for all those who were too weak or too dangerous. _

_You can try as hard as you want but you can never escape your destiny: A weakling will never become a Jedi, no matter how hard you try. You'll never be equal to those who had been chosen by the force to be their servants. Always remember this, Farmgirl! Always remember where your place is in this galaxy!_

* * *

Asteroid 773 – Dolkar Sector

Secret Rebel Base – Hangar Bay

Same time

Brewker supervised the loading of his transport. He was eager to start his mission. Ever since he had escaped with his shuttle from the outpost in the Remand-System, he couldn't wait to revenge his fallen friends. Somehow they had noticed his feelings. Otherwise they wouldn't put a simple technician on pilot duty for such a delicate mission.

The freighter was nothing special: A normal SoroSuub _B'zabuu_-class transport. No special upgrades, no hidden weapons. Only an upgraded life support system to transport more passengers instead of cargo. But that was about to change very soon.

Then the Wookiees arrived. Intimidating creatures heavily armed with bowcasters and other Wookiee weapons, but also more common weapons like blaster rifles or grenade launchers. They came to fight, they came for vengeance. Their leader's sons had fallen, murdered by the Empire. No they'll do the same and make them feel the pain they had to feel. This is what the Rebellion is all about: Revenge. Revenge for the betrayal of the Republic. Revenge for the loss of property and power. Revenge for the loss of friends and family. They have taken everything away from us – now they'll pay. Planet Wan'ber, here we come!

* * *

Marol – Dolkar Sector

Jedi Citadel – Private Quarters

A dew days later

"Are you ready to go on your first solo mission, Lianna Curas?" Master Aqinos asked the young girl.

Of course, she was speechless. She knew that she was the best – next to Laros, of course, but that her Master trusted her with such a responsibility… She caught herself. She was a Jedi and she would to what was her duty. "Yes, Master, I am ready", was her answer.

"Very good. But be aware, it won't be easy." He warned her, "Your mission will be on C'tau III."

She gulped. _Not good._ C'tau III was her homeworld. Her family was there and she was sure it would have something to do with that, given the position of her father. She had been taught that Jedi were not allowed to have any attachments – not even family – hence the isolation of the base, but she wasn't sure that she was over with that whole thing.

"I can feel your discomfort", Master Aqinos said in a friendly voice, "But be aware that your help will bring the galaxy closer to freedom and will save a lot of lives."

"I know, Master", she replied, "I accept this mission. It is my duty as Jedi."

_So, this is it. The final test. The sacrifice that every Jedi has to bring, to call himself a full-fledged Jedi Knight. She didn't feel very comfortable about it, but she was ready. She won't fail like Farmgirl. She wasn't weak, she was a Jedi!_

* * *

Marol – Dolkar Sector

Jedi Citadel – Corridors

Same Time

_He watched as Lianna left Master Aqinos' room. He knew that she had accepted the mission. __It wasn't very often that one of them left this planet. Isolation was a strong part of their security. And he had made sure that the position of this academy had remained a secret._

_Every time one of them had left the planet, he had talked to them. But in reality, he had implanted force-barriers in their mind, unknown to them. They couldn't reveal the academy's location, even if they wanted to._

_And he would do the same to Lianna._

_He saw a movement in the shadows. But when he focused on it, it was already gone. He had seen it often in the last days, but he was probably just paranoid._

_All this time with these weaklings must had tapped my mind, he thought._

* * *

Marol – Dolkar Sector

Swamps – some kilometres south of the old Jedi Citadel

Afternoon

"Do you really think that was a good idea?" Belran Ka'tas asked.

"Why not?" Nieron replied. "It's not that we are expected somewhere."

"We are expected to be I our rooms, studying. What if they find us out here…"

"Then we will just say we are looking for Farmgirl who had got lost again", Nieron calmed down his friend. "For a Bothan, you are worrying too much. Try to relax!"

"Thinking of what we are about to do, it's not very easy."

Nieron took out a blindfold of his pocket and tied it above his eyes. "As our masters would say: 'Trust in the Force, young one, it'll lead you to your destiny!'" Finishing mocking his masters he jumped forward into the trees, vanishing into the mist.

Belran sighed. He blindfolded himself, too and then, like his friend, he was off in the trees.

It was a game of trust. Not to each other, but to the Force. Guided only by their instincts, the two Jedi jumped from tree to tree, a dozen meter or more away from the ground. Each step, each jump could be the last one. Which branch, which tree was close enough? You couldn't see them – only feel them. Your skill of the force would decide about your next jump or –

CRACK – "Aaaahhh!" – Plotsh!

Belran stopped in his movements, landed on a branch and removed his blindfold. He saw that his friend had found a new companion: mud. Totally soaked and mudded he sat in the swamps and looked not like a mighty Jedi warrior.

"My friend", Belran said, "You are as clumsy as your horns are long!"

Nieron touched his Zabrak horns on his head. "They're not _that_ long." His voice got serious again. "You better come down here. You should take a look at this!"

Normally Nieron would've just called him down to pull him into the mud, too, but this time his voice was too serious. He must've found something important. _This is so gonna kill my fur_, Belran thought as he levitated down to the ground.

* * *

Marol – Dolkar Sector

Jedi Citadel – Main Hangar

Evening

"Well, it's a V-38 Sentinel Starfighter, that's for sure!" the technician said.

"I see that, too!" Master Aqinos answered, "What I want to know is how it got here and where are the pilots?"

"I hate to disappoint, Master Jedi, but the memory banks of the Fighter had been removed." He looked down at his datapad. "All I can tell you is that this is TIE/v38 RP-674A83, part of the 3356th Patrol/Recon Wing, fifth squadron, currently assigned to the frigate _Thunderous_ which is part of the Crimson Diamond Command, our beloved sector fleet. And as far as the computer tells me, this fighter should be in a nice and warm hangar and not in some swamp on a remote planet."

"But since it is here and the pilots are lost, we can assume that somewhere on this planet is an imperial spy!"

* * *

Marol – Dolkar Sector

Jedi Citadel – Outside

Early Night

Commander Jex stood outside on top of the remnants of the Citadel and looked at the stars. How long did this mission last already? A few days, that was certain. It had been a challenging mission. Hiding among all these force-users, lurking in the shadows, preying, watching. It had been fun, too. His skills had been used to a maximum. That was good. _He_ was good.

But all good things had to come to an end. His object was to capture a living subject for interrogation. And since his fighter had been found, he had to hurry. One of the reasons he had been able to hide for such a long time was because no one was looking for him.

One possible subject was directly beneath him. It stood on the roof of a lower level of the citadel and did the same thing as Jex was doing now: Enjoying the stars. These levels of the Citadel were still high enough so that they sometimes peak out of the eternal fog.

Jex walked to the end of the roof. The wall was completely vertical and led down around a dozen meters to the lower level with his prey. The wall had built-in vertical rills. When the sun would shine on these walls, they wouldn't look so blank and intimidating. But now these rills would serve another purpose.

Jex climbed into on of these rills. They had enough depth and width for a normal man. With outstretched arms and legs he was able to hold himself into position. _Now the tricky part_. He eased the tension within his muscles a little bit – and immediately he 'fell' down, or better: he slid down the rill, accelerated by gravity and slowed down by the friction of his hands and feet with the wall.

His prey didn't notice him until it would be too late. The rill ended two meters off the ground, making place for hallway. Shortly before he reached the end of his rill, Jex jumped off – forward. For one moment he was above his prey – a moment of silence before a moment of violence.

One arm slung around his neck and pushed him down, while the other arm pushed a forearm-armor integrated Noghri-style vibro-knife into his stomach. He arm around his neck pulled him up again, nearly choking him. The arm kept a hand on his mouth, preventing him from screaming. The knife stabbed again, this time in his back before the other arm finally broke his neck. The dead body was released from the grip and fell on the ground.

_A living subject_, Jex thought. _Not so living anymore, but what should I say? The opportunity for a good kill was just too good. Now let's find another prey!_

* * *

Marol – Dolkar Sector

Outside the Citadel – Above the training path

Early Night

_Finally_, she thought, _the night has come!_ All of her other Clan Mates were sleeping now. The training path was surrounded by high columns that reached out of the eternal fog into the sky and despite the fact that they were over a thousand years old, they still stood firm.

She had picked one of the columns she knew and had climbed before. She knew that this one wouldn't crash while she would be sitting on top of it.

Her toes and fingers dug into chinks along the column while she climbed up. She had no security line. If she fell, it would be her last fall. _Who cares?_ She was so sick of all this: When she had left home her parents had told her that it was a great honour and responsibility to become a Jedi. She would be a great warrior and all this. But since she had been here she had constantly been bullied, embarrassed, humiliated and treated like dirt, only because of her weakness in the force.

But she had tried to keep up with them. She trained harder, she pushed herself far beyond her limits, but in the end, the others didn't care. They used the force to play her pranks, to bully her, to blame her and everything got worse once she had a little success.

She had reached the top. The stars sparkled above her and the fog moved silently, like a mystic sea, flowed silently below her. She sat down, closed her eyes and crossed her legs. Finally, no more annoying Clan Mates, no more humiliations, no more pain and most importantly, no more creeping Jedi.

One Jedi that talked with the force through her mind. One Jedi that had started this whole 'Farmgirl'-name story. She didn't know much about him and – to be honest – she didn't want to know anything more. He just gave her the creeps.

Meditation: The only thing that had stopped her from running away, committing suicide or going rampage on all the other Jedi was the meditation. She had soon found out that the moments of peace and silence in her mind would prevent her from getting crazy. It was even better at night, when everyone else was sleeping. No more distractions, no more disharmonies: Everything was at peace.

She let her thoughts flow. She reached out and listened to the voice of the flow. A harmony of sounds and impressions. She took a deep breath. The cold and clear air filled her lungs. Peace and harmony.

And yet, something was different today. A light humming in the back of her head, a sound of disharmony. She tried to ignore it, she pushed it back. This was supposed to be a moment of harmony. But it was still there. And it became stronger – louder. She shook her head. _Nothing's going right today_. She tried push the signal back, but the harder she tried to ignore, the stronger the sound became. She opened her eyes again. _Maybe some minutes of rest will…_

Then she saw him. A black figure, standing on top of the column right in front of her. The blue moon was right behind him, redrawing his contours. The figure jumped forward, right towards her. She reached down to grab her lightsaber – which was still in her cabin. The figure caught her; it grabbed her and pushed her backwards. She fell – together with him – into the fog, into the darkness.

* * *

Marol – Dolkar Sector

Jedi Citadel – Main Hangar

A few minutes after a loud bang

The whole Clan, the other Jedi and every non-Jedi personnel had gathered in the hangar and watched with great amazement the black remnants of the hangar gates. The captured imperial fighter was gone, too. Soon it was clear that two persons were missing: Jodo Alenn, another Jedi-Trainee and Farmgirl.

After a short search, Jodo had been found: He had been brutally murdered on one of the terraces. For Lianna, Laros and several other Jedi the things were clear: Farmgirl had murdered one of her Clan-Mates: She had been the weakest so it would be natural for her to fall to the Dark Side. And then, afraid of punishment, she had stolen the imperial starfighter and escaped.

Of course, this brought several problems: They had to find her renegade Darksider before she would betray them to the Empire – where else would she go? Also, the original pilots of the imperial craft were still on the planet and had yet to be found.

* * *

Ghart – Dolkar Sector

Invisible Market – Illegal Spaceport

Night

"Hokay", the Devaronian mechanic said, "I'll install the device for let's say… ten-thousand creds."

Brewker sighed. _Here we go_. "Are you kidding?" Brewker replied, "Five-thousand is more than enough!

The mechanic smiled. "Sure, but that counts only for a legal installation. We have other costs to cover."

They continued to argue. Meanwhile, Dllr Nep, the Sullustan co-pilot watched the whole scene. He leant against the hull of the _B'zabuu_-class transport, which had currently had the name _Hairy Betty_.

Trybokk came down the ramp, together with Qixoni, the HK-50 protocol droid. _Here we go_.

"Question", the protocol droid translated, "How long does this trip last. My brother and I are hungering for our vengeance."

"(Don't worry, Trybokk, we'll be back in space in no time)", Nep assured him, "(We'll just have to add one last piece to our equipment, that's all.)"

"Statement: Fine, but hurry up. We want to see blood!"

_After all these days with these Wookiees, I wonder why we need them at all_, Nep thought, _Their lust for vengeance, their obsession with honour… It'll be their own downfall._

* * *

Marol – Dolkar Sector

Jedi Citadel – Hangar bay

Next morning

_He stood with his back towards the ramp of the _Winter Lake_. Laros Ben had already entered the freighter's cockpit and begun with the starting sequence. _

_Since the failed attack on the imperial palace nearly a month ago, he had been grounded here on Marol. The Rebel Council had been upset, especially Trybokk. But now he had been given a chance to redeem himself: To find Farmgirl and to prevent her at any cost from giving information to the Empire._

_He waved goodbye with his hand towards Aqinos. Don't worry, he said, I'll find her._

_With these words, he boarded the ship._

_Old fool._

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector

Planetary orbit – TIE/v38 RP-674A83

A few days later

She woke up with a giant headache. Her vision was blurry, she couldn't see anything straight. But the humming was still there, a constant voice in her head. But this time, it was different, more real. It didn't come from the inside of her head, but reached the mind from her ears. And the sound was different: Not like a background scrambling in the force, but a more artificial, human-made sound. She was sure she had heard it before.

She tried to move her arms, her legs – she couldn't: they were cuffed. She tried to say something – she couldn't: something covered her mouth. Her vision got clearer: Stars. Endless stars and a giant planet, only interrupted by – iron bars? Not iron bars but the bars of a starfighter cockpit! One special kind of cockpit, unique in the galaxy to one kind of fighter! That was why the humming was so familiar: She had heard it before, in the flight simulators: The feared howl of Sienar Fleet Systems Twin Ion Engines!

The shock awoke her in one second. She sat upright and watched the planet outside the ship. Obviously, she was in a two-seated starfighter and someone was sitting in front of her. Her memories came back to her: The dark figures that had pushed her off the column. The pain that had knocked her out when she had hit the ground. Was something broken? She wanted to find out, but she couldn't. She struggled, tried to free herself, until a sharp pain shot through her body and made her scream into the ductape that covered her mouth.

The dark helmet – which was everything she could see from her pilot – moved and a dark, mechanic and intimidating voice, spoke to her: "Back among the living, Missy? Better keep quiet or you'll taste some more electricity!"

To undermine his statement, he shocked her again. She screamed and jumped up, which only made the SC-401 stun cuffs tighten up. Fighting was no option. Rescue neither. She doubted that anyone would even miss her. _What have I gotten myself into this time?_ she asked herself.

Ships came into her focus. She recognized them: Frigates, cruiser, corvettes… But most importantly one kind of ship, a symbol of power and fear everywhere throughout the galaxy: The white triangular form of Imperial Star Destroyers!

"Welcome to the Empire, little Missy!" her pilot said, "The Inquisitor already awaits you!"

_Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no… This is just a dream. Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up!_

**AN:** Sorry that it took so long, but I was very busy. And I still am. So it might take some time before the next chapter will come. But don't worry, it will come eventually. In the meantime… Enjoy the story! Read, review and get a reply.

-JCE1985.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 – Open Eyes**

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector

ISS _Black Citadel_ – Interrogation chamber 4

Any Time

_Pain_

That was the only constant thing she felt right now. _What is the difference between physical and psychical pain?_ She didn't know where she was. To be honest – she didn't care. For the last two years she had been in constant pain. This pain now, inflicted by interrogation droids – it wasn't different.

_More pain_

Pain entered her body and left it again. She heard herself scream. Some questions were asked. Did she answer? She didn't know – she didn't care. It would only suit her right to betray her… comrades. She was weak, inferior, worthless. They had given her up by now, she was sure of it. _I have failed!_

_Father, mother, can you see me now? Look, what a great and brave warrior your daughter has become!_

They would be disappointed. What was she? A crying little girl locked away and treated like an animal. They wouldn't expect the Empire to be less cruel, but they would expect her daughter to show more dignity, but they would also know that her daughter wasn't capable of that. She was weak. _I have failed!_

_Pain_

Again, she could hear some words, but they came from far away. She had stopped listening to them long ago. The screams she heard were hers, but those were only basic elements of her mind reacting. All she could do now was waiting: Waiting for the end of her worthless life. _I have failed!_

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector

ISS _Black Citadel_ – Outside Interrogation Chamber 4

Later

Loam Redge stepped out of the chamber. In the corridor, two persons were awaiting him, Tel Vynkar and Commander Jex. Arkyn Medor was sitting at a computer terminal at the end of the corridor a few meters away.

"It doesn't work", he said. He was disappointed with his subject. The captured Rebels and this servant girl Jedi had provided at least _some_ information, but this girl was either very tough or – more likely – had reached a phase beyond being broken. And that wasn't good.

"Your little orbs aren't working?" Tel asked, referring to the IT-3 interrogation droids.

"These droids lack creativity", Jex said and drove out his forearm-armor integrated blade. "Maybe I should take a try! Field-interrogation can be very… persuasive."

"But she wouldn't fear you." Redge disagreed. "You could kill her whole family in front of her and she wouldn't care. In this catatonic state she is useless. Besides, my soldier, you must return to the _Thunderous_ and to this Jedi Academy. If we can't extract any information from _her_, then you must be our source of information."

Jex saluted and walked away.

"Don't you have some Dark-Side-Thingy you could use on her?" Tel asked a few moments later.

"Yes, of course, but that could damage her mind permanently, even when used by a trained expert like me."

"Well it's better than nothing!" Tel replied, crossing his arms.

"Allright", Arkyn said, not looking away from the terminal's screen. "I'll talk to her."

They turned around to him. "What?" they said in unison.

"I said I'll talk to her", Arkyn said, turning his chair towards the group.

Tel crossed his arms. "Why would you do this, hm?" he asked.

Arkyn looked back at the screen. "I don't know. I somehow can relate to her position… her life. I just want to talk to her, that's all. Maybe I can find out some things."

Redge thought for a while. "Very well, my warrior", he said, "Do as you want."

"Yeah", Tel added, "We can fry her mind anytime."

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector

ISS _Black Citadel_ – Prison Cell 38

An hour later

Arkyn entered her cell. She was lying on a cot at the far end of the room. Her eyes were closed and her hands folded on her stomach. Only the light moving of her chest indicated that she was still alive.

Arkyn waited. He did not want to make the first step. It was upon her to awake from this state. You wouldn't expect this from any other person that had received such a treatment, but he was confident that she would. Her state wasn't caused by the torture but by her own decision.

Hours passed by. Or only minutes. Arkyn didn't know – he hadn't checked his chrono for some time. He just watched her, waiting for her to make the start.

It finally happened. She opened her eyes. From one moment to another, her lids swung up and revealed her green eyes. She blinked a few times to accommodate her eyes to the light, but then they stayed open.

"Hi", Arkyn said.

Her head turned around. She looked at him. Her expression was a sign of resignation and defeat. She didn't answer, but he was sure that he had reached her.

* * *

Reltek-Nebula – Dolkar Sector

Near Asteroid 521 – TIE/sr 3356/4-3 (Alpha-3)

After 7 hours of reconnaissance

"Our next target is the beautiful asteroid going by the name of five-two-one", Sensor Officer Telek Gord spoke into the com. "Special features: rocks, rocks and more rocks – how exciting."

"Don't forget to mention the ice" Sensor Officer Frein Gattle added. Only a slight, forced laughter came as a reply. After being caged into a twenty-four meter long ship for over seven hours, unable to walk or to make any extensive movements and not having found anything interesting but abandoned mines and rocks, the tension was high and the nerves were frayed.

"Cut it, would you?" Pilot Janus Gans shouted. "We still have more than half the way to go and we still haven't found out what happened to the others!"

The 'others' were Alpha One and Alpha Two, two TIE/sr scouts of the fourth squadron of the 3356th Patrol/Recon Wing, that had been sent into this nebula for a simple recon flight. Now that they hadn't returned, the next two fighters of the squadron had been sent in, but this time together with a brand new _Adz_-class Patrol Destroyer.

"Recon of Asteroid five-two-one indicates no suspicious activity", Alo-tre, the fourth crewmember of Alpha Three said. He than opened a channel two Alpha Four, their wing mate. "Alpha Four, this is Alpha Three. Found anything interesting?"

"Alpha Three, this is Alpha Four", a female voice replied. "So far, we have nothing."

"What a surprise. I tell you, here…"

"Wait, I found something!" The voice of Alpha Four interrupted Alo-tre's banter, sounding very excited. "A signal – weak, but definitely a com-signal!"

"Alpha Four, this is Destroyer _Guardian Fire_", the capital ship entered the conversation. "We confirm your signal. It looks like an imperial automated distress signal, coming from Asteroid five-three-three."

"Destroyer _Guardian Fire_, Alpha Three confirms position of the signal", Telek Gord said, "Fastest route to intercept is six-one-five to six-four-four, repeat: six-one-five to six-four-four."

"Alpha Three, Destroyer _Guardian Fire_. Confirmed route is six-one-five to six-four-four. Awaiting hostile activity; launching escort fighters."

Six TIE Interceptors left the hangar bay of the capital ship and formed an escorting shield around it. The two scouts formed the head of the formation while the small fleet moved deeper into the asteroid field.

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector

ISS _Black Citadel_ – Prison Cell 38

An hour later

"It is good to see you are back in our world", Arkyn said, friendly and understanding.

"I… I had to make up my mind about a few things." Her voice was weak and soft, but her mind was present. "Who are you?"

"You can call me Arkyn. What is your name?"

Her head turned back, looking at the ceiling again. _Did she fall back again? _Her answer took some time, but he had time. He didn't want to rush her. It would have to be her decision.

"Farmgirl", was the reply.

Not her name from the data bank. "Is that a nickname? Back home they always called me 'Copper', but that's another story."

"It's a name of failure – A name suitable for me."

Arkyn sounded surprised, but in fact, he was interested. "Failure? Who did you fail?"

Her voice was low. She remembered every mistake in her life. "Everyone. My parents, the Rebellion, everyone. They had expectations for me, plans for me. I tried to do everything to please them, but no matter how hard I tried, I always failed."

"What about your own wishes?"

"What?" That surprised her. It seemed that no one had ever asked her about that.

"Your own wishes. Hopes. Plans. Don't tell me you never dreamt of something you wanted to become."

"Yes, there was something." Her view got absent, as if she dreamt of better days, days of the past. A dream that she had carried in her mind for quite a time, making it her hobby, reading about it, learning about it. She found out that there was such a wide field; it would be the best and most exciting job in the Galaxy. But her parents had other plans. When she approached them with their wishes and what she thought about this job – her father was furious, her mother devastated. What had they done wrong? Hadn't they always told her what a great honor and responsibility it was to become a Jedi of the Republic? She had been confused. Sure, she had always been taught that being a Jedi would be the greatest service of all, but hadn't all Jedi been branded as traitors? Hadn't all Jedi been extinct? Not that her parents had ever believed that.

Two days later an old Sunesi and some droids came to bring her to the academy on Marol. She had refused to go, begging her parents to stay but they were disappointed with their daughter that brought shame over her family.

Her mind got back to the present. "Why are you interested? You just want to get information out of me."

Arkyn chuckled. "Maybe", he said, "But right now I just want to talk to you."

* * *

Reltek-Nebula – Dolkar Sector

Near Asteroid 533 – TIE/sr 3356/4-3 (Alpha-3)

After 7,5 hours of reconnaissance

"Signal is getting closer", Sensor Officer Gattle said, "It must be right behind this asteroid."

"Alpha Three, _Guardian Fire_. Continue approach, but be careful."

The small fleet surrounded the asteroid. The giant rock, larger than a Super Star Destroyer, rotated against the movement of the ships. Finally on the other side, they were between two large asteroids which were so close together that from the point of view of the imperial ships they formed an eternal chasm into the blue and purple nothingness of the nebula.

"Entering the space between the asteroids", Pilot Gans said, "Stay close together and activate external search lights."

"Everyone, this is Alpha Four" the female voice again said via radio, "I am receiving strange energy readings from the asteroid's surface. Maybe nothing, but tell me that my instruments aren't crazy."

"Four, this is Three", Sensor Officer Gord said, "Your instruments are fine. I'm picking up the same readings. And an object in space right in front of us. We should see it by now!"

Gans sighed heavily. "Ah, man. Look at the mess!"

Similar comments came from everyone onboard the ships. There was wreck in front of them and even there wasn't much left, it was clear that it had once been a TIE/sr scout ship.

* * *

Reltek-Nebula – Dolkar Sector

Near Asteroid 533 – TIE/sr 3356/4-3 (Alpha-3)

Ten minutes later

"Something is not right here", the female voice of Alpha Four said, "If these are the remnants of Alpha One, where is Alpha Two? I don't see any impacts or wreckage of him and he would have reported the loss of Alpha One!"

"That's not what is bugging me", Sensor Officer Gord said, "The distress signal we are receiving may be weakened by the asteroids, but judging from its current strength, we should have received it as soon as we had entered the system!"

"And then there are these mysterious energy fields", Alo-tre added, "If you look at them from a certain point of view they look like… jamming signals?"

In this moment, the alerts onboard the scout ships and the Destroyer went to overload.

"New signals! Capital ships coming from the surface! Corellian Gunships! I count two… no three heading directly towards us!"

"Alpha Three, Alpha Four, this is Destroyer _Guardian Fire_. Retreat immediately, repeat: Retreat Immediately. We will cover you as long as we can."

The _Guardian Fire_ moved forward, engaging the Corellian ships. But although the _Adz_-class Destroyer was newer and larger than the old Gunships and had a starfighter escort, it was no match for them even in a one-on-one combat situation. It a fierce exchange of laser- and ionfire, Concussion missiles and turbolasers, the crew of the _Guardian Fire_ sacrificed themselves to let the to scout ships escape. They didn't know that a full squadron of Y-Wings was already awaiting any possible escaping imperial ships.

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector

ISS _Black Citadel_ – Prison Cell 38

Two days later

"So, your parents actually never accepted the fall of the Republic?"

"No, they didn't", she said. The ice had been broken – Partially. She was now sitting on her cot, talking to Arkyn. _Like a normal person_. Something she hadn't done since years and something she needed. And Arkyn had given her this. Since their first conversation, he had been there for her almost every minute. It felt good to have some company around. But she still knew that he was one of her captors. He didn't behave like one, but like a good friend who came over for a talk.

"They are Patricians of the Old Republic. When the Republic had been transformed into the Empire, their world had been crushed. They couldn't stay on Coruscant – Too many of their friends had been arrested for speaking up too loud. So they moved to Garos IV, bought an isolated estate and tried to teach their way of live to a new generation."

"You."

She leant back, thinking, realising. "Yes. To me and the children of similar thinking parents. We went to no public school. We were privately educated by teachers of the Old Republic with no contact to other world."

"Now I'm curious. What did they teach you?"

She waved her hand. "Well, of course the 'normal stuff' you would learn at any school, I think: Maths, Language, History and so on. But they also taught us about the meaning of the Old Republic: The effective system of democratic representation, the fair laws and the equal treatment for every single being." She chuckled. "And most of all: The importance of the Jedi. There wasn't a being more lawful and honest than a Jedi. They are the highest form of service in the Galaxy." She sighed, shaking her head. All the lies she had been told in her life, now she realised how misguided she was.

"They painted a picture of an ideal state", Arkyn begun, "Leaving out the dark sides and not realising that their paradise was lost long before they were even born. They tainted the souls of their children – for what?"

She shrugged. "To make us future Rebel leaders? I have no idea, they never told us, especially me. Maybe they just wanted to create own little world, denying it was ever lost at all.

"Did no one of you ever ask what was going on outside your community?"

"I did. The others had been brainwashed for their whole life, as was I, but somehow… I was different."

"You were force-sensitive."

"As you."

Arkyn raised an eyebrow, but he didn't say anything.

"When did you want to tell me?"

"Whenever you would ask", Arkyn replied, "I never had any intention to hide it."

"Honest Guy, eh?" She stretched her arms and her face showed the pain as all her stiff muscles protested. "Man, I really could need some movement."

"Maybe I can be of some assistance", Arkyn said and opened the door with a remote. He pointed outside into the hallway. "Are you coming?"

"What?" she asked in confusion. "You're letting me out?"

Arkyn shrugged. "Sure, why not? There's a gym onboard this ship and you said you could need some movement. Come on."

She slowly got up, walking softly towards the door. _Is this another trick? Shot while attempting to escape?_ She peeked out into the hallway. Seemingly endless, it was a typical standardized imperial prison block that had replaced the former beauty of the Star Cruiser.

"By the way", Arkyn asked while he kept up to her, "What was your name again?"

Memories came back to her mind, trying to find parts of her mind that hadn't been used in ages. "Cassidy", she replied, soft and unsure, but then the look on her face changed, becoming strong and confident. "Cassidy Nolan."

* * *

**AN:** I'm really sorry for the long delay, but I promise to update the story now more regularly. If you have any questions, comments or anything else to say about the story, feel free to review.

-JCE1985.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 ****– Normality**

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector

ISS _Black Citadel_ – Gym

After a short walk

The _Black Citadel_ had originally been a luxury cruiser before it had been converted for Inquisitor Redge's personal use. But although the ship once had the abilities to accommodate several thousand passengers, this gym was not a large, but tall room. It was not a room designed for large masses, but for more personal training and recreation. One wall was a giant panorama window, showing the infinity of space. The floor was completely covered with training mats, while the other walls were covered with different arrays of training tools. The light came from numerous floor uplighter at the walls, but they were set to a minimum level. The whole gym was covered in grey and twilight.

When Cassidy walked into the gym, she couldn't see anything at first. It was a heavy contrast to the bright changing room. Only after a few moments, when her eyes had adjusted to the new level of illumination, she saw Arkyn, standing in front of the panorama window, watching the stars.

"Isn't it a little bit dark in here?" she asked.

"I like it", Arkyn replied, his voice was silent and soft. "It reminds me of the current state of the galaxy, somehow."

"How so? Fallen into darkness?"

"No, tainted by twilight." He turned around. Also it would was totally impossible, Cassidy thought that his eyes were glowing, pointing directly at her. But that was probably just her imagination. "It is a time of distrust and chaos. Fear is everywhere. You don't know who to trust. There is no light, no darkness. Only grey and shadows."

She gulped. "A- and now what?"

He lifted an arm and pointed at one of the arrays at the wall. A long bar was lifted up by the Force in the air and drifted before Cassidy's face. "A little training session."

Another one flew into Arkyn's right hand. "Are you familiar with them?" he asked.

Cassidy took the bar and observed it, swung it around. "Taser staff. Modified to resemble a lightsaber." She pressed the switch on the hilt of the blade, but nothing happened. "With empty energy cells", she added.

"We don't want to hurt each other more than we need to", Arkyn said with a smile. "Let us begin." He moved into his typical opening stance, pointing his left hand at his opponent, while holding his blade parallel to his left arm at the height of his shoulder. _Form III: Soresu – The Way of the Mynock._

Cassidy reacted and got into her opening stance. She flipped her blade into a reverse hand grip and held it over her left shoulder, the tip of the blade pointing at her opponent. The open palm of her left hand was placed under pommel of her hilt. _Shien_: A very unique dorm of lightsaber combat.

Without any words, the battle begun. Cassidy spun around and directed a wide blow directly at Arkyn. With minimal movement, he blocked her attack. Only for a blink of an eye, the battle had stopped, but it soon returned in all its ferocity. Cassidy was in constant movement – her style required long and strong blows, but also a certain proximity to her enemy: Holding the blade in a reverse grip, she reduced the range between her and Arkyn to almost zero. Arkyn on the other hand had never liked unique or obscure styles. During his training he had been introduced to all forms of combat, of course, but he had concentrated on two and had merged them into his personal style. Focusing now on Soresu, he blocked or dodged every one of Cassidy's attacks with minimal movement and strength. But on the other side, he was gaining nothing: There was no offensive in his moves.

While the battle had begun in total silence, words were always an important part of the fight:

"Interesting style, Cassidy" Arkyn said, "Speciality of your order?" He deflected another blow.

"No", she called back, "Only of me!"

"Just like I thought."

She moved forward again and their blades came together again. "What's that supposed to mean?" Her voice was more aggressive. She had overcome her shyness and was now a wild warrior, eager to prove her self.

Arkyn pushed her and her blade away. "You were an outcast in your order. No one took you seriously. The style you use is difficult to master and puts you in greater danger than necessary. But that's all right for you: You wanted to be better than all the others. You wanted to prove that you are worthy! …But in truth you never wanted anything of this."

It is not easy for you to take when somebody exposed your inner fears. Most people would be angry. Cassidy _was_ angry but at the same time she knew that he was right. Anger and Hate formed a flurry of blows that, unfocused and wild, pearled of at his defence. Arkyn took the advantage. Changing his style from Suresu to Makashi, he accepted her next attack. This time he didn't block her attack, but with a small move of his blade he directed her movement away from his body. _Form II: Makashi – The Way of the Ysalamiri_. At the same time he moved one leg forward and tripped Cassidy's legs. Brought out of balance and driven forward by her own strength and momentum, she hit the mat.

Not every battle is won by sword. Knowing the fears and ambitions of you opponent, your words become a weapon that can penetrate every defence. Use them to distract your enemies or to unleash their inner flame. _Dun Möch – The Way of the Sith_.

She got up on her feet again. "Fine, you're right. I hate these Jedi!"

The barriers had been broken. She didn't hold back any more. Her sword in attack position, she moved forward, circling her enemy. She started, suddenly running along the wall and jumping forward at Arkyn. He was caught by surprise, but he managed to black the attack. Cassidy rolled away, got on her feet and with a few steps she jumped again, this time attacking Arkyn nearly from above.

Block, attack, block and another attack.

Her jumps and attacks continued, her vision became blurred – There was only her opponent's blade, building an impenetrable wall, no matter how hard she tried. And with each block, her mind became more desperate, her attack more ferocious. Like a mirror of her soul, her mound formed words, screaming out years of humiliation and suffering.

"Jedi! High nosed babblers and arrogant bullies! 'You're weak, Cassidy!' they said. I'll show them 'weak'!"

"I am strong! Stronger than you, Lianna! Or you, Laros!"

"I hate you! I hate you all!"

Arkyn didn't listen to her words. They reached his ears, but at the moment he was sunken in the force, his eyes were closed, he acted on instinct. Darkness was growing in his heart and from this darkness he drew the strength of his concentration. He concentrated on Cassidy watching her movement and feeling her next attack. And he needed to stay focused. Cassidy may not be a master of sword fighting, but neither was he.

Her desperation was growing, as was her anger. And from that anger and hate, she reached the force. A weak bond, that was true, but even a thin rinse can become a mighty river if he is fuelled by power. And that power of the force now gave Cassidy the strength. Not by wanting it or willingly wishing it, but by sending a subconscious plea in every stroke, the force enhanced her strength and accelerated her movement.

_She is good._ That was one of the few thoughts Arkyn allowed to himself between his blocks.

In a final attack Cassidy concentrated all her frustration, all her hate and desperation and delivered one last, powerful stroke. Arkyn blocked, of course, but was overwhelmed by the strength of this attack. He fell back on the mat, hard, with Cassidy on top of him.

Arkyn almost expected her to continue her attack. He was technically beaten and defenceless, but from her breathing he realised that she was very exhausted, too. _I know you're tired, Cassy, but could you please get off me? This is really an awkward situation... I'm just glad Tel isn't here._

Before he could do anything or even think of what to do exactly, Cassidy rolled off him, not getting up but staring at the roof. Arkyn didn't do anything either. Everything had to be her decision.

"I'm weak." Cassidy finally said.

Hearing that, Arkyn felt his muscles, aching from blocking her attacks. "Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that", he replied.

"I'm weak in the force." Her voice was as resigning as before.

"Hey, so am I!" Arkyn said. "In the Old Republic, my midi-chlorian count would have meant a one-way ticket to the Agri-Corps. But look at me now!"

She rolled her head over to him. "The force creates all life. Therefore all of our strength, all what we can achieve is defined by the strength of our bond with the force."

"Who told you this Prophet-Philosophy-Mumbo-Jumbo-nonsense?" Arkyn asked, scratching his back. "I didn't pay much attention during the philosophy lessons on Dromund Kaas, but I'm sure that's _not_ what they said. What we are, who we are and what we can achieve is only defined by us alone. These are _our_ lives and _our_ decisions!" He paused. "At least, that's how _I_ see it."

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector

Upper atmosphere – Shuttle _Black-1_

A few days later

"Xenobiology?" Arkyn asked, "You're kidding!"

"I know it sounds weird", Cassidy shyly admitted, "But think about it: All these different species out there, all the varieties: The greatest job in the galaxy!"

Cassidy had really woken up from her catatonic state. Arkyn had taken her to the gym every day and had even arranged for her to be transferred to one of the guest quarters. She had been surprised, of course. Arkyn had been surprised, as well, because Inquisitor Redge and Tel hadn't said anything about his 'methods'. In fact, he had spent almost every day together with Cassidy and they had left him alone. The Inquisitor hadn't even object when he requested the Shuttle to take Cassidy for a trip to Cyphar.

"If you like these things."

"I do. Did you know that the Xi'dec have over 180 different sexes?"

Arkyn gulped. "I don't even know how this is going to work."

"It's… complicated." Her voice got sad and she let her head hung. "But my parents never understood my dream. For them it was the greatest thing to give me away to these Jedi, just like in the Old Republic." She let out a deep sigh. "How can you live your dreams when your live is predestined by the curse you carry inside you? The curse of the Force!"

"I don't know, Cassidy", Arkyn replied. "It's like we grew up in different worlds."

She looked to him. "So, your parents were imperial fanatic, then?" As soon as her words had left her lips she cursed herself. Why did she ask this? Ever since Arkyn had started visiting her, he had never talked about himself or his past (And in fact, she had never asked). She knew that he was a darksider. _Not really evil, but there was a dark core within him._ So whenever she asked him something about him, she feared that she might trigger something.

Arkyn just chuckled. "I wouldn't call them _that_. They supported the Empire, yes, but not in a way that I would call _fanatic_."

But as always, his answer was calm and polite. No hidden anger, no suppressed rage: He seemed so… _normal_.

"In fact", he continued, "My parents weren't so pleased at all when I was chosen. They thought that I was too young and all this… Maybe they were right, after all. But in the end, I think it was the right decision. I hadn't any specific plans for my life anyway. I was restless, unsure."

"And… have you seen your parents since then?" Cassidy carefully asked.

Arkyn let out a long sigh. "Not in person, no. We had some talks via holonet. But the more time I spent on this mission, the more I want to spend some time home. Maybe it is time for a vacation after all this is over."

_Lucky you_, Cassidy thought. She wasn't sure if she would see her parents again. In fact, she wasn't sure if she even wanted to. She hadn't become a Jedi and that would mean in their eyes she had failed. _Sithspawn, I'm a prisoner. I'm not even sure if I survive the next night! Don't forget this!_

"Enough with this lamenting!" Arkyn said as if he had sensed her feelings. "Now it is time for some fun!"

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector

Capital City – Mall

A few hours later

"He said _what_?" Lina shouted after she had heard the story.

"Can't believe it either", Aurelia Glermin added, "He's _so_ gonna be toast tomorrow. I don't know whether…"

Just in that moment, the sound of the door announced a new costumer. Two, actually: A boy and a girl, both around the age of seventeen. Lina had developed a certain eye for costumers during the time she had worked here. The boy looked very dominant, despite his rather casual outfit, consisting of black pants and a red shirt. His black hair was a wild mess, but his blue eyes had some hidden darkness in it. The girl on the other hand, was a complete fashion disaster, at least for a girl at her age here on Cyphar: She was only wearing a simple training suit, her hair was complete undone and there wasn't a single dot of make-up in her face. Lina would never even think about being seen like this on the open street. Despite this, the girl looked also very shy and unsure, as if she had never been at a place like this. _Judging from her outfit_, Lina thought, _that might be true…_

"Hello", Lina said, approaching them, "may I help you?"

"Well, not me", the boy said and pointed at the girl, "But my friend here needs a new outfit."

"I can see that", Lina said, eying the clearly nervous girl. "Girl, where did you get these clothes?"

"Well, I…", she said, but Lina cut her off.

"Doesn't matter, I'll take care of this!" She took the girl by her arm and let her to the changing rooms. "Aurelia, get me some of these new tops we got yesterday."

"Sure thing, Lina", she said. As she looked for some of the tops that might suit the new girl, she noticed the boy had laid his eyes on her. But before she could say anything…

"Aurelia?" he asked, "Aurelia Glermin, the heroine of the Empire? The most famous crime-fighter of this sector?"

She blushed. "Well, I hate to brag, but…"

"I've heard a lot about you. The things you do are simply… amazing. A true inspiration for everyone."

"Eh, I'm just trying to help. It's really nothing special."

He walked back to the door. "Don't sell yourself for short, Aurelia. You have great potential." He looked to the changing rooms. "How long is this going to take?"

She thought for a moment. "Hard to say… When Lina gets obsessed with something, especially fashion… Wait, are you not going to stay?"

He smiled at her and pointed at his chest. "C'mon. Me? A guy? And helping a girl getting a new outfit? I think we can avoid this catastrophe."

"Gotcha. By the way, I don't want to offend, but where does your friend come from? She's a little… different."

The boy hesitated for a moment. "Ah, she had a difficult past, better don't mention it. But believe me, Cassy is a real nice girl. She just used to all this… normal stuff. See you later!"

With these words, he left the sore. _Not used to normal stuff?_ Aurelia thought, picking up a some clothes, _What in the name of Xendor should that mean?_

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector

Capital City – Mall

An hour or so later

Arkyn was pleased when he returned to the fashion store. The trip to Cyphar had definitely been worth the time: He not only had gotten the newest expansion to _Mandalorian Iron II_, but also the latest season of _The Voyages of the VSD Protector_. He could only hope that Cassidy had had an equal good time. _Well, considering she's together with Aurelia, she just might have. That girl is truly amazing. All the things she does, _without_ the force… Corruption and degeneration might be a problem of the Empire, but as long as there are people like her, it's worth of protection._

"Hey girls, I'm back", he said as he entered the store.

All three girls, standing in the middle of the store, looked at him for a second, before they burst out into laughter.

"Nice to be so welcomed" Arkyn said, looking at the giggling girls. "Wait a sec… Were you talking about me?"

Again, laughter.

"Um… N-no…?" Cassidy stammered.

"But anyway", Lina added, "It's good you're here. Someone got to carry all these bags!"

Arkyn looked were the dark-skinned girl pointed at and at the first sight counted already _five_ bags! _Five!_

"Whoa, just a kriffin' moment! We were here to get some…" _Well, not-Imperial-prison-uniform…_ "…clothes, especially for tonight, not en entire collection!"

"These are clothes for every opportunity", Lina objected, "When you're leaving again, this girl needs to be prepared!"

"Gnah…", Arkyn growled, "Whatever"

Aurelia, just finished packing some more clothes into another bag, asked: "So, what are your plans for tonight?"

"Well, besides enjoying the nightlife…" Cassidy said, "Nothing specific yet. Any ideas?"

Aurelia thought for a moment. "The _Galaxy_ is currently the hottest disco around. It's on the top of the Spire Central Tower. If anyone wants to be hip, he'll be there."

Arkyn agreed. "Sounds like a plan. Are you coming, too?"

"Like to, but can't."

"Same here", Lina added, "The COMPNOR SAGroup (SAG Recreation) New Year Fete Week Sector Cheerleading Camp and Competition is coming up. We have to leave early tomorrow morning, and since we'll probably train during the flight, we better take the opportunity for a good night sleep."

"New Year Fete week?" Arkyn asked, "Is the year already up? Man, time really flies by…"

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector

Capital City – Disco _Galaxy_

Evening

_She__ sure looks gorgeous. It has been worthy all these hours and carrying all those bags. _ Cassidy still seemed to be a bit uncertain among the large crowd of people, but Arkyn was sure that would change as soon as the music would start. Aurelia had been right about the disco: The whole place was an open air terrace on the top of one of the highest towers of the planet. (There was a retractable roof, however, in case of bad weather.) As illumination for the dance floor and the stage served a gigantic hologram of the galaxy, giving the disco its name.

A new song started, loud and fats techno beats filled the air. Arkyn knew that song. He had heard it before at the discos on Kidriff 5 and Byss: A very popular song, telling the legend of Kibh Jeen and Epona, two young Jedi who fell in love and found the last secret of the Sith, only to be expelled from the order and hunted down.

_A danger for Jedi, danger for all_

_He was banned to die._

_Sent into doom, to vanish forever, he found his destiny_

_Forged by the winds, forged by fire_

_He emerged victorious_

_Exiled__ again, there was still fear, to the end of galaxies_

_-Brighter than light, your friendship is shining_

_Believe in your dreams, they'll guide you_

_Your fate is in your hands_

_Stronger than the force, your friendship is shining_

_Pure energy, born out of love, it'll guide you_

_You'll find your destiny-_

"C'mon Cassy", he said, taking her hand, "Let's get moving!"

"B- but I don't know how to dance!" Cassy explained.

"Doesn't matter", Arkyn answered, "Just relax and let the music do the rest for you!"

_She was ambitious, had a strong will_

_Too proud for the order's code_

_Banned as failure, to be forgotten, at the end of galaxies_

_Exiled by Jedi, exiled by friends_

_Out of the temple's realm_

_At galaxy's end far from the stars, they found their 'ternal love_

_-Brighter than light, your friendship is shining_

_Believe in your dreams, they'll guide you_

_Your fate is in your hands_

_Stronger than the force, your friendship is shining_

_Pure energy, born out of love, it'll guide you_

_You'll find your destiny-_

In the centre of the dance floor they were just one pair of young people among many. The music surrounded them and took over their bodies, making them move to the rhythms that filled the air.

_One Jedi__ found him, to make him see_

_And make him one of them_

_Forgetting his friends, treat them like dirt, this is a Jedi's way_

_The planet Almas, a place of dark_

_By Rivan's legacy_

_Corrupted by dark, killing his master, he found the sith's secret_

_-Brighter than light, your friendship is shining_

_Believe in your dreams, they'll guide you_

_Your fate is in your hands_

_Stronger than the force, your friendship is shining_

_Pure energy, born out of love, it'll guide you_

_You'll find your destiny-_

This was their night, their night alone. Everything seemed to be forgotten as the music went on and on. They opened their minds to the limitless freedom of space and the ecstasy of the joy to be here tonight.

_To be murdered, to be destroyed_

_The Jedi couldn't wait_

_Unknown to them, she was with them, to save her friend and love_

_A battle took place, the planet's burning_

_The secret was revealed_

_At battle's climax, she met him again, and freed him from the dark_

_-Brighter than light, your friendship is shining_

_Believe in your dreams, they'll guide you_

_Your fate is in your hands_

_Stronger than the force, your friendship is shining_

_Pure energy, born out of love, it'll guide you_

_You'll find your destiny-_

There was no Empire, no Rebellion and no Force: there were just Arkyn and Cassidy. Two young people like millions other in the galaxy. Carried away by the harmony of music, nothing was left: No more worries and no more sorrow, only the comfort and joy of trust and friendship.

_The secret's forgotten, 'til it's too late_

_The Jedi's fate was sealed_

_They ignored it; put it away, as a madman's foul ranting_

_Out of the night, into the light_

_She sacrificed herself_

_For their true love, now they're together, for their eternal life_

_-Brighter than light, your friendship is shining_

_Believe in your dreams, they'll guide you_

_Your fate is in your hands_

_Stronger than the force, your friendship is shining_

_Pure energy, born out of love, it'll guide you_

_You'll find your destiny-_

* * *

**Author's Notes:** So, there was a lot emotional stuff inside this chapter, but the next one will have more action. After all, while the two enjoyed their time of togetherness, the war still goes on.

The lightsaber combat: Arkyn is a real passive fighter, thinking of his own security first and taking down the enemy with a minimum amount of strength. That's why his style is a combination of Form II and Form III: Both require concentration and precision rather than raw power. Cassidy uses the complicated _Shien_, not to be confused with Form V. This sytle had been used by other Jedi of the old Republic, ike Adi Gallia, Ronhar Kim and Quinlan Vos. Since Cassidy thought of herself being weak in the force, she picked this style which focuses more on physical strength and personal contact. She wanted to prove the other Jedi at the academy that she could compete with them. Unfortunately, she had never gotten a real chance – yet.

Arkyn's family will have a role in possible sequels to this story

We never see much of the normal life of all the common people in the galaxy. A little of this life can be seen via Lina and Aurelia, although Aurelia is hardly normal…

Xendor is an abbreviation of Minions of Xendor and a common expletive among people in the galaxy. It refers to the Legions of Lettow, one of the earliest Dark-Side-User organisations, led by the darksider Xendor.

_Mandalorian Iron II_ was already mentioned in Chapter 4. It's one of my creations and supposed to be a popular computer game.

_The Voyages of the VSD Protector_ is an ISB-approved Imperial holo-serial, telling the stories of the crew and the ship. Well, the reference is obvious.

The COMPNOR SAGroup (SAG Recreation) New Year Fete Week Sector Cheerleading Camp and Competition (what a name…) will appear in later chapters. It'll play a more or less important role. The New Year Fete Week is the first five days of each year, before the first month.

The year is After Empire 29, or Ten years after the Battle of Yavin (10 ABY). But only a few days of this year are left.

The tale of Kibh Jeen and Epona: Kibh Jeen is actually a canon character, travelling with his master to the Sith Fortress of the planet Almas in 188 BBY. After Kibh fell to the dark side, he murdered his Master and enslaved the pirates of the System. He started a conflict that lasted for seven years until he was stopped by another Jedi and her Padawan. He also found out that the Sith were still alive. Unfortunately for the Jedi, they didn't believe him when he told them. Epona is my own creation, because I have an idea for Kibh's backstory. Maybe one day I'll write a fanfic about him…

The song is also my own creation, but I'm not very fond of it. Luckily, I'm not a songwriter in real life.

That's all of Chapter 13. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did or if you do have any question or comments, feel free to write a review. Thanks.

-JCE1985.


	14. Chapter 14

Ragoon-System – Dolkar Sector

ISS _Warzone_ – Bridge

A few days ago

A tremble went through the Star Destroyer's hull as the heavy dual turbolaser cannons fired and sent their deadly power towards the enemy. Commodore Feriot followed the green beams with his eyes as they covered the distance between his and the enemy's ship with near light-speed. The enemy was an old Corellian cruiser that still sported the Old-Republic diplomatic red at some points.

Some shots missed, but some hit. And that was enough: Already worn down by an hours-long battle and not properly maintained for years, the shields were an easy prey. But not all energy was wasted on the shields. These turbolaser bolts had enough energy left to destroy the ship's engines, power core and everything else.

Commodore Feriot, Commander of the 2nd Force Superiority of the Crimson Diamond Command, watched the cruiser being destroyed. It had been an easy battle: Nothing complicated, just an ambush with superior force: A carrier, an Interdictor and a _Lancer_ had jumped together with the _Warzone_ just in front of the only moon of this system's third planet and launched an attack. Vice-Admiral Gordon had long suspected a Rebel hideout here and the hidden _Morrt_-Droids had only confirmed this. Thanks to the Inquisitor's authority, he now also had the possibility to strike.

_Thank the Emperor he's here_, Feriot thought, _Maybe we will not only get rid of these Rebels but also of this spineless Moff Liron Gar!_

"Commodore", Captain Sana Wabei, the ship's commander said, "One Rebel ship remaining: Gallofree Type 75. It's heading towards exit vector one-one-five."

"That's the infected ship, isn't it?" Feriot asked the Galacian woman.

"Correct, sir."

Feriot turned around and looked at the tactical hologram of the battle. "Fire our main batteries at the target, but don't hit them. After that, Squadron Theta should intercept and make one pass. Make it close."

The freighter should escape on purpose, but the ship's crew should believe they escaped due to sheer luck. But in the end, they would only lead them towards another Rebel hideout and maybe to their main fleet.

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector

ISS _Indigo Maiden_ – conference room

Now – The next Morning

"As you already know", Lieutenant Caybasi told his audience, consisting only of Loam Redge, Lox and Tel Vynkar, "The _Morrt_-droids have allowed us to identify several Rebel and Rebel-attached ships. By programming the droids to stay longer on their current ship rather than to jump onto a new at the next best opportunity, we could locate several additional Rebel outposts in this sector." He paused for a moment. "So far, we can tell the following: The logistic activity and organisation of the Rebels seems to be restricted on this sector and maybe one or two systems of the neighbouring sectors, but the latter seems to be only due to logistic reasons. But in the last weeks, fleet elements of the Crimson Diamond Sector Fleet had destroyed every single base, carefully letting 'infested' ships escape. Thanks to that, we could identify at least three other Rebel hideouts. The last one had been destroyed this morning by Vice-Admiral Gordon himself."

"But other bases outside of Dolkar aren't excluded", Inquisitor Redge added.

Caybasi nodded. "Of course", he highlighted a few hyperspace lanes on the sector's hologram map and continued. "Another typical behaviour of these Rebels is to raid only outside this sector and then only for their own need, meaning consumables, repair parts, etc. Inside the Dolkar-Sector, they keep a low profile, even avoiding official hyperspace lines."

"As long as they leave the Imperials in this sector alone, they won't be bothered, thanks to our nice Moff."

"Exactly, Inquisitor. But thanks to Vice-Admiral Gordon, all of these bases had been eliminated. The last one was destroyed this morning by the Admiral himself." A new series of hyperspace routes appeared, connecting several stars in the hologram. "However, for every rule, there is an exception." He pointed at the new route. "A few days ago, we have located a Rebel starship coming from the Reltek-Nebula. Unfortunately we don't know what they're up to. The Reltek-Nebula had been the target of three recon-missions and so far and all had went missing. And the Admiral does not want to send any other ships there, unless he had more concrete informations."

"You mean info from our Jedi girls, right?" Tel asked.

"That and from the _Moort_s. Escaped ships _may_ be on their way to the Reltek-Nebula, but we have to wait to be sure. Now, about his renegade freighter: It joined the official routed at Beldrek and had visited several spaceports throughout the sector. A cross-reference with the local authorities identified the ship as a SoroSuub _B'zabuu_-class modified freighter, named the _Starlight Wookiee_. It is a typical tactic for infiltrators to visit several planets to build up a background for the ship, so the infiltration of the final target will be much easer."

"Where is this ship know?" the Inquisitor asked.

Caybasi sighed. "We have lost contact this morning during the ship's stay on the planet Ghart. We suspect a malfunction, but it would be more likely that the crew or mechanics had found the droid, since it was supposed to undergo several modifications."

"What modifications?"

"That information was not available, but we have already prepared a team of commandos and operatives to investigate."

"Forget it!" Tel said, "I'm bored to death. Since two weeks we're just hanging around and do nothing! Especially me since Arkyn hooked up with that Jedi girl. I'll go!"

Caybasi seemed to be surprised, so he looked at the Inquisitor for an answer. Redge thought for a moment, and then he nodded. "Allright, my warrior, you'll go. But you won't go as an Elite."

"What?" He shouted, "You can't be serious! Another disguise?"

Redge stayed calm. "It is all part of the game, my warrior. You are not here. But when you walk in the shadows, the Rebels will see you. And when they'll see you, they'll see an Intelligence Operative. There should be some spare uniforms onboard the _Maiden_."

"Yes, Sir, there are", Caybasi added.

"Good. And Arkyn will go with you." Before Tel could say something, Redge continued. "Two pairs of eyes see more than one, and two swords will be twice as strong as one." _He will keep an eye on you, my warrior. We need a brain and not a brute. Show me that you are both._

"Two swords?" Tel looked confused, "Why would we need our swords? I mean, except for some thugs and gangs?"

"You'll see, my warrior." He turned towards Caybasi. "I'll leave the organisation up to you, Lieutenant." Then he left the room.

_I bet __that was another premonition_, Tel thought, _This is going to be _so_ much fun!_

_Now, where's Arkyn?_

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector

Planetary Orbit – Shuttle _Black-1_

Next Morning

It took one light beam from Cyphar's orange sun to break through one of Cassidy's eyelids to finally wake her up. Slowly, she opened her eyes, only to close them again when they met the light of the cockpit's illumination. She moaned, asking herself why she couldn't stay in bed a little longer, when words reached her ears what brought her mind back to her current situation. _The last night has definitely been too long!_

"I didn't 'disappear', Tel", a really annoyed Arkyn said to a small holographic figure on the controls. "You just had to ask the computer."

"Then why didn't you tell me, Arkyn?" the holographic Tel asked, "I thought we were friends!"

Arkyn sighed. "We are friends, Tel, and if you had asked me about my plans I would have told you. I was just busy, hokay? Now tell me what the kark is going on!"

"We have a new mission: Rebel activities and so on. Our starfighters are prepared."

"Tel, I am in no mood to spent days in this little cockpit. Organize a capship or something."

Tel scratched the back of his head. "Fine, whatever you say. We'll meet in hangar bay." The hologram disappeared.

Arkyn leaned back and sighed. It was good that the shuttle had an autopilot. He was in absolute no mood to fly. _Maybe I should have told him about my plans. After all, he _is_ my friend._ A sound next to him brought his thoughts back to reality. Cassidy looked at him through her sleepy eyes.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"No, not really. Usual business", Arkyn replied. "I'll be gone for a few days, but don't worry. You have a guest quarter onboard the _Indigo Maiden_ prepared for you and if there's any problem, ask Ensign Tallahan."

Cassy sat up straight and her face got serious. "Arkyn", she begun, "tell me, why are you doing all this? You befriended with me, the training and the trip to the planet… This can't just be about information, right?"

Arkyn let his head fall on his chest. _Moment of truth._ "Like I said before, Cassidy", he begun slowly, "When I first read about in your dossier, what you have told me about your family… We grew up in different worlds. But unlike me, you never had a choice. I… I felt that it would be fair to show you the other side. What you had missed and what you… deserved."

"So, you did this just because you felt pity?"

"Well… Like I said, it seemed unfair. And you needed a friend."

"And there were no other feelings?"

Arkyn took a deep breath. _That's the fun when you're young_. He clenched the control stick and concentrated his view on the nearing ships – an unnecessary task due to the autopilot. "I would lie if I say there weren't any. I mean… You're young, beautiful… I'm a boy…" He took another deep breath. "But anyway, you didn't need a boyfriend or something like that at that moment; you needed just a friend, so I did put my feelings aside."

There was a long pause, but finally, Cassidy put a smile on her face and leaned over to him. "Thank you, Arkyn. Thank you for everything." She gave him a slight kiss on his cheek and got up, leaving for the back part of the shuttle.

_Man, this is the first time I score with a girl_, Arkyn thought, _And I didn't even want to! _The large black hull of the Mon Calamari Cruiser _Black Citadel_ got closer, reminding him of the approaching mission.

The followers of the Cosmic Balance believed that for every good thing in the universe there would be an equal bad one. Arkyn did not believe all this, although he found proof for this every time.

* * *

Marol – Dolkar Sector

Outside the hidden Jedi training facility – Jex' landing site

Morning

Commander Jex observed the thick and foggy jungles of the planet. He was inspired – and eager to prove himself again. The last he went here had been easy, because they didn't expect a spy, but this time, they were most likely prepared_. Most likely?_ Jex thought for himself, _They had found my starfighter, one of their students was dead and another one missing! Yes, they'll expect me!_

Once again, he had chosen a TIE/v38, a two-seated, hyperdrive-equipped starfighter, but once again, he was alone. Not that he wanted to take a prisoner this time: He just preferred to work alone in this kind of situations, despite having the command of an entire platoon.

He took a final look over the lake. His fighter was hidden under water, only the hatch and the upper solar fin was visible. But with the help of some branches, cloaking nets and mud, the problem had been solved. He would have preferred a smaller fighter, but the _Thunderous_ only had the V-38s or even larger TIE/sr scouts.

* * *

Hyperspace – Between Cyphar and Ghart

ISS _Bauxite Hammer_ – Guest Quarters

A few moments after the jump to hyperspace

In the white infinity of hyperspace, the imperial _Assassin_-class corvette made its way towards it's destination, a ship of hundred and fifty meters in length and with a hangar bay filled with two TIE Opressors and two ISP-6 Shuttle Pods. On this flight, three additional people were onboard: three young men, one Intelligence Lieutenant and two 'Intelligence Operatives'.

"I'm surprised", Arkyn said to Tel, "that you hadn't ordered an ISD."

Tel growled. "I did. But Caybasi mumbled something about 'overkill' and asked the Admiral for the Corvette. It's faster anyway."

"Tel", Arkyn replied with a sigh, "you need to learn something about modesty."

"We are Dark Side Elites, Arkyn", Tel interrupted him, "We have access to all imperial hardware and technology. Why shouldn't we use it?"

"Tel, because we _have_ the access, we should use what we _need _to, not what we are _able_ to. Always be wise in the resources you use."

"Whatever you say…"

* * *

Reltek-Nebula (Asteroid 773) – Dolkar Sector

Secret Rebel Base – Irenez' Quarters

Noon

"We can't allow this to happen, Commander", Irenez begged her secret superior. "We can't let them die!"

"We have to, Irenez", the blurred voice of the hologram in front of her said. The voice and shape of the person was not visible to her, but in her mind she could see the old grandfather-like face of him directly in front of her. "As much as it hurts me, we have to stay hidden. At least for the next time. And that means we have to let the things happen."

Irenez let her head hung. "Why did we ally with them at the first time anyway?" she asked the hologram but also herself, "We had connections to all the remaining Rebels. After Endor, we could have united them and…"

The hologram interrupted her. "They all needed a leader, Irenez. And Iran Kalamar was charismatic and determined enough to be this leader."

"Have you ever talked to him? The loss of his sons has him driven mad!" Irenez shouted, "He is a pure lunatic! It should have been you, who…"

The blurred hologram raised his hand. "We already discussed this, Irenez. My time is over – and so is Kalamar's. Prepare for the leave and inform our allies. It is time for a new start."

"Yes, Commander", Irenez said while the hologram disappeared. _Not the answer I have hoped for, but better than anything else._

Before she could grasp her thoughts, the door to her quarters opened. She turned around and saw Boc Seclam, the old Twi'lek Council Triumvir. "What do you want?" she asked. She was not in the mood to talk.

"Having a little chat with the enemy, aren't we?" he asked in his always paranoid and sarcastic tone.

Yes, she was not in the mood to talk and Boc was not helping with that. "I don't know what you're talking about, triumvir."

"Oh, I think you are, Irenez." He walked in and moved around her. "Triumvir Kalamar asked you once to decide for one side. And it seems you have made your decision."

Before she could say anything to get rid of the paranoid freak, he barked his orders out in the hallway: "Dragite! Luxum! Arrest this traitor!" Two Uulshos Justice Droids, with Valken-38 blaster rifles strapped on their backs, walked into the room and grabbed Irenez.

"Are you insane?" she shouted at him, "I am no traitor! I am loyal to the Rebellion!"

Seclam caressed her cheek and she repulsed in utter disgust. "_We_ are the Rebellion, Irenez. Everyone who is not on our side is on the side of the Empire. There are no alternatives. When you see your traitorous friends in one of your nine Corellian hells again, tell them that there is only _one_ Rebellion."

"You can't do this, Boc!" she shouted while she struggled in the iron grab of the droids, "You need me! And my contacts to all the lost Rebel fleets in the galaxy!"

He smiled. "Fortunately, this problem will soon be solved." He turned towards the droids. "Take her to the prison block!"

The droids dragged her into the hallway. Irenez was wise enough not to resist, because she knew what these droids _real_ were. _That's it! They have definitely lost their position as Rebel leaders!_ She saw the satisfied grin on Seclam's face. _Laugh, you arrogant idiot, laugh while you still can. I have more allies than you can imagine and if I know Tav right, then…_

Another door in the hallway opened and Tav Breil'lya came out. "I heard shoutings", he said nervously, "Is something…" Then he spotted Seclam, Irenez and the droids. "Council triumvir Seclam", he asked confused, although he knew exactly what was going on, "What is the meaning of all this?"

Seclam answered instantly: "Your friend Irenez turned out to be a traitor. I hope you know where your loyalty should be, Council member Tav Breil'lya."

Tav could only nod. "Yes, triumvir Seclam, I know."

* * *

**Author's notes: **

In case you haven't already figured it out, the old Corellian cruiser was supposed to be of the _Consular_-class.

This was the first appearance of Commodore Feriot. He will appear again later in the story.

A Gallofree Type 75 was actually a GR-75 medium Transport, the 'standard' Rebel freighter.

Galacians were near-humans from the planet Gala. They're identified by the pale blue skin and often called 'moon people'.

Lt. Caybasi mentioned three recon-missions to the Reltek Nebula. The second of those missions was in Chapter 12. The third one maybe was of similar strength and had the same results.

Tel mentioned Jedi girls. Remember, Irina Gels is still in imperial custody, although her mind had been fried.

A SoroSuub _B'zabuu_-class was one of the many random freighter you could find anywhere in the galaxy. It is 22m long and looks like a long fish, can carry up to six passengers and is armed with a dual laser cannon. The _Starlight Wookiee_ had been modified to carry a few more passengers and, as mentioned in the story, had recently been outfitted with other interesting gadgets on the planet Ghart, as seen in Chapter 11.

The _Thunderous_ was a Nebulon-B-Frigate and had been mentioned before. Its fighter complements consisted of the 3356th Patrol/Recon Wing, fourth and fifth squadron, which were made up of TIE/srs and TIE/v38s respectively.

TIE/v38 was my (military) designation for the V-38 attack fighter, which provided the base for the infamous TIE Phantom. Those who have played _Rebel Alliance 2_ will remember.

_Assassin_-class corvettes were imperial versions of the well known Corellian Corvette, although the Empire used them both. The Assassin had better armament, shields and armor and was a little shorter and compact than the CR90.

ISP-6 shuttlepods look like a cockpit from a _Lambda_-class Shuttle with a similar tri-wing design. But unlike their larger brothers, the pod was designed for Orbit-to-Surface transport and has no hyperdrive and only limited armament.

TIE Oppressors (military designation TIE/op) were from _Star Wars: Galaxies_ and were part of a limited field testing program. Now, in this alternate future, they had become the standard starfighter of the Dark Side Elites, much like the I-7 _Howlrunner_ had been in the official EU.

There is some unrest in the Rebellion. The fanatics forming the triumvirate will soon learn that their fanatic view of the galaxy is not shared by all members of the Rebellion. Those who have read the old _Thrawn Trilogy_ might remember the names Irenez and Tav Breil'lya…

That's all of Chapter 14. I hope you enjoyed it. If you do have any question or comments, feel free to write a review. Thanks.

-JCE1985.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 – ****Another One**

Wan'ber – Dolkar Sector  
Camp Heijden: COMPNOR SAGroup (SAGRecreation) Sectorial Cheerleading Camp and Competition – Outside  
Morning

Aurelia talked to her best friend Dill. He was in a very grumpy mood. Hard to imagine, considering that he was teenager who had spent the last days in a camp full of young girls in tiny cheerleading uniforms. He wouldn't have been Dill if he hadn't tried to hit on several girls and of course he wouldn't have been Dill if he hadn't been rejected every time. And of course he wouldn't have been Dill if he had encountered a serious number of other problems and incidents.

"C'mon Dill", Aurelia tried to cheer up her best friend, "I know you have some camp-issues, but try to see the bright side!" She waved her hands to show him the landscape. Camp Heijden was located in the hills around a central lake and far away from any other civilisation. It consisted of numerous bungalows and convention centres as well as several open-air arenas. "The hills, the woods, the lake… Not to mention the free days from school. It's New Year's Fete Week!"

But Dill was adamant. "Don't try to cheer me up, Aurelia. Ever since I have been here, my scalp has been a twenty-four-hour tick-buffet, the cabins have more holes than an Agamarian cheese and I have been on the black list of every girl since one hour after our arrival! And they don't even have a Biscuit Baron here!"

"Maybe it was not a good idea to flirt with the girls of the snottiest team of the whole sector at first…" Aurelia said more to herself.

Aurelia's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of her best female friend, Lina. It seemed that she had indeed recovered well from the incident with the Inquisitor. But Aurelia had heard from Lina's roommate that she still sometimes woke up screaming during the night. But nothing of that was visible now; she was still the lively young girl she had always been. She ran towards her friends and gave Dill a friendly hug, which was difficult, since he was already wearing his bulky _Cyphar Cougars_ mascot costume. "Still grumpy, Dill?" She asked.

"Don't try it, Lina", he mumbled.

"Awww, c'mon, Dill" She hooked in with Dill and Aurelia. "You will see: it will be a wonderful day!"

"Don't be so sure about this, Lina", Aurelia said. They had arrived at their training stage, where all the other girls had already gathered, doing warm-up and stretching. One of the girls, Melly, came towards them. The red-headed girl was the most arrogant of the team and a constant rival of Aurelia. Her bratty behaviour had even increased during the camp, since there was a competition to win and of course she thought she was the _only_ one who could lead the squad to victory.

"Glad to see you're finally here, A", Melly said in her icy voice, "Path to victory isn't paved by tardiness, you know."

Aurelia always claimed to be good at anything and she definitely did not stand behind Melly when it came to catty hissing. "I'm still on time, M, so let's get started and nail that routine. And try not to break our pyramid this time, 'kay?"

Aurelia passed her and ignored the evil glare in Melly's eyes that could vaporize a Wookiee.

* * *

Ghart – Dolkar Sector  
Invisible Market – Illegal Spaceport  
After a short gunfight

The last surviving member of the workshop – and its owner – was held in an iron grip one meter off the ground by Tel Vynkar. He grasped his throat, unable to remove the invisible force grip of Tel's wrath.

Arkyn was sitting at a computer terminal and was watching how the iViper/i probot, which was connected to the computer, skimmed through the large amounts of data. Of course, not the probot was skimming, but Lieutenant Caybasi who had access to the computer via a link to the _Bauxite Hammer_.

Several local COMPNOR CompForce troopers searched the area for any culprits who might have escaped the scene.

Caybasi's miniature hologram was floating next to Arkyn's head and was typing on an invisible keyboard while he mumbled to himself.

"Let's see… _B'zabuu_-class… SoroSuub Components… Cross-reference with the security-tapes…"

"I think I've got it", he finally announced, "The _Starlight Wookiee _is supposed to be a respectable passenger liner, so she entered the dock under a fake ID, the _Hairy Betty_, but the description matches: Duros pilot, Sullustan co-pilot, a group of two-dozen Wookiees as passengers and an ancient HK-50 protocol droid as translator."

"What did they buy?" Arkyn asked.

"A military-grade sensor cloaking device. And I was able to find out the next stop of our freighter."

"Which would be?"

"The planet Wan'ber. The course is already plotted. As soon as you are onboard, we can launch."

"Sounds like a plan", Arkyn said and got up, "Tel, we are finished. Let's go!"

Tel clenched his fist. The man's neck snapped with a silent crack and the lifeless body fell on the ground.

"I'm coming", he said.

* * *

Wan'ber – Dolkar Sector  
Camp Heijden: COMPNOR SAGroup (SAGRecreation) Sectorial Cheerleading Camp and Competition – Bathroom  
Noon

Hank Menson was a happy young man. The girls of his squad finally warmed up for him, little Tessy in particular, his squad had reached the next round of the competition and his own technique in his massive costume was definitely improving. _Not to mention being around with all these young beautiful athletic and popular girls – what could a guy want more?_

He entered the bathroom. It was summer on this part of Wan'ber, so wearing a thick bodysuit was not recommended. _Anything for the squad, Hank_, he reminded himself. He took off his mask and put some water in his face and hair. Then he noticed the other figures in the room. They wore costumes, the same like him, so they were probably mascots of other squads, but what he noticed was that they were taller than him.

Hank Menson was tall – very tall. At his current age of sixteen he was already larger than two meters (which was one of the reasons why he had become the mascots of his squad), so meeting someone larger than him was quite a surprise.

The others didn't seem to notice him, so he decided to make the first move. He patted one of them on the shoulder. "Great costume, dude", he said, "But seriously, I'm the mascot of the Wooks, so who are you?"

The last thing in his life he saw were the bared teeth of one angry Wookiee.

* * *

Wan'ber – Dolkar Sector  
Camp Heijden: COMPNOR SAGroup (SAGRecreation) Sectorial Cheerleading Camp and Competition – Open-Air Arena _Happiness_  
A few moments later

"And now, boys and girls", Julia Geist, one of the COMPNOR organizers announced to the assembled crowd of cheerleaders and mascots "a happy welcome applause for the local champions, the Wan'ber Wookiees!"

With these words and a loud applause, the curtain turned away and revealed the stage. The applause soon faded into gasps of horror when not the expected group of cheerleaders had appeared on the stage, but the mutilated bodies of fourteen teenagers and about two dozen angry Wookiees, one holding the chopped off head of a blond boy. They howled at the crowd, resulting in screams of panic and horror. One Wookiee grabbed Julia Geist and howled her over his shoulder, disappearing together with some other Wookiees, while the others jumped off the stage, opening fire. Their weapons ranged from state-of-the-art T-21 blaster rifles to traditional Wookiee bowcasters and Ryyk blades, however their purpose today was the same: blood vengeance.

* * *

Wan'ber – Dolkar Sector  
Camp Heijden – Hell  
A few moments later

Aurelia made a backflip from her chair where she had just sat, just before it was crushed under a swift swing of a Ryyk blade. The Wookiee howled and started another attack which Aurelia again barely dodged. She had been shocked by surprise when the Wookiees had appeared on the stage and when they had opened fire, all she could do was react, evading blaster fire and now the attacks of a rage-filled Wookiee.

_Time to do so__mething instead of reacting…_

The blade came again and Aurelia made another somersault, but this time she felt a sharp pain in her left lower leg. She clenched her teeth. When was on her feet again she looked down and saw a fine red line on her bare skin.

_That's enough!_

The Wookiee seemed to be encouraged now that he had wounded his prey and moved forward, swinging his blade. Aurelia evaded the attack again, but this time she went closer to the Wookiee, rolling under his arms and legs and suddenly she was behind him. Standing back-to-back to the Wookiee, she did not even turn around but kicked the Wookiee in his back, sending him on the ground. From her position Aurelia made another backflip and landed – with an audible _Crack!_ on the Wookiee's back.

"This is all your fault, Aurelia!" A voice next to her screamed. Aurelia turned around and saw Melly with an open wound at her left temple. Her face was filled with shock and fear. "I knew it! All of this…"

"Melly, calm down…" Aurelia tried to calm her fellow cheerleader when suddenly a beam of green light erupted between the two girls. A shockwave of heat hit Aurelia and sent her on the ground. Lurching, Aurelia got up again, pain filling her head and several other body parts. But she knew she had to keep on moving. Through her blurred view she saw another brown, furred creature, aiming with a big gun at her. But she also noticed something silver on the ground next to her.

The next shot came and Aurelia reacted from her years of experience in dodging blasterfire and started a series of flic-flacs towards the silver object. With perfect timing she reached for the Ryyk blade of the Wookiee she had taken out a few moments ago, grabbed it and without disrupting the flow of her movements she threw it towards the firing Wookiee. The blade hit the barrel of the bronzium long-gun and a firework of sparkles and flashes erupted from the gun, followed by a series of growls that could not – and should not – be translated into any civilised language. Ever.

That was a short moment of relief for Aurelia if not two strong arms had grabbed her from behind and tossed themselves together with her down an acclivity.

* * *

Wan'ber – Dolkar Sector  
Planetary Orbit – TIE/op _Elite 1_  
Shortly after the attack

Leaving the _Bauxite Hammer_ behind them, the two TIE Oppressors headed towards the planet below them.

"What are we looking for again here?" Tel asked via com-channel.

"You wanted to go on that mission", Arkyn replied, "You tell me!"

"Have you already forgotten everything, Arkyn?"

"I haven't. But since you couldn't wait to get out of the _Citadel_ to blast something, you _should_ at least know what we are up to!" And before Tel could answer, he added: "And no, it's not pulling a Base Delta Zero on this place!"

Arkyn heard a sigh. "Hokay, let's recapitulate: We look for a Rebel freighter, right? So, the best place to start might be the local spaceport."

"Probably not", a new, but well-known voice interrupted them, "I have already checked the local databanks and according to them the _Starlight Wookiee_ disappeared from their scanners as soon as it had passed the planetary defence grid."

"Caybasi!" Tel shouted, seemingly outraged, "Did you listen to us?"

"That is not important", was the dry answer, "We have located a large communications and sensor jamming field at a local recreation center. Local security enforcement is already informed, but you are directly above it. I suggest you check it out."

Before Caybasi had finished, Tel had already steered his Oppressor towards the planet. Arkyn reached out with the force and touched Tel's mind. He could feel the rage within Tel's mind and how he was driven towards one place. Then he felt it, too. A battle was going on. Directly beneath them, people died. He could feel the agony, the pain, the fear… But on the other side, there was also the blood rage that fuelled the attackers. They were victorious and with each life eliminated, their rage and their lust to kill grew larger.

* * *

Wan'ber – Dolkar Sector  
Camp Heijden – Hell  
Same Time

Lina crawled forwards, slowly, step for step, evading the chaos. Her vision was blurred; shock and fear dominated her mind. The screams of the other girls, she couldn't – wouldn't hear them. All what was important to her was her path… _Just a little closer… Concentrate, Lina, just a little bit… _Next to her a Wookiee tossed some chairs of the arena aside and saw Lina. She screamed as she saw the wild Wookiee and hurried, crawling on her back. The Wookiee fired his bowcaster and hit the ground between the legs of the dark-skinned girl. Lina screamed again and her moves became more desperate what earned her a howl of malicious joy from the Wookiee.

The gloating of the Wookiee bought her the few seconds she needed to crawl in a hole under the wall of the arena. It was a small cavity caused by weather and time. She rolled around and looked outside, hoping to find herself unseen. As she looked, a girl hit the ground after being tossed from the top of the arena – the girls was still alive! Her eyes found Lina and slowly she moved her arm towards the hidden girl, pleading silently for help. Suddenly a series of green bullets from the above rained down on the girl, literally perforating her back.

Shocked Lina crawled deeper into the hole, cowering in a foetal position. _Make this stop_, the silently thought, _Whatever forces there may exist in the universe, make this stop…_

* * *

Wan'ber – Dolkar Sector  
Upper atmosphere – TIE/op _Elite 1_  
A few minutes later

Arkyn saw Tel's Oppressor before him. He also saw the columns of fire and smoke coming from Camp Heijden. But what he also saw on his energy readings were the activated bombing shafts of Tel's fighter.

"Tel", he called him, "what are you going to do?" A pure rhetorical question, of course.

"What do you think, hm?" he replied, "I'll bomb these bloody Rebels into oblivion!"

"And kill all these sweet innocent girls, Tel?" Arkyn asked. On his screen all available information on Camp Heijden appeared, including the latest conventions – another courtesy of Lieutenant Caybasi. "C'mon, you can do better!"

* * *

Wan'ber – Dolkar Sector  
Upper atmosphere – TIE/op _Elite 2_  
Same time

Tel didn't want to listen. All he could think of was his destination right in front of him. _Stay on the target!_ His proton bombs were ready, his missiles armed and his lasers charged. _Time for some devastation!_

"And kill all these sweet innocent girls, Tel?" He heard Arkyn asking, "C'mon, you can do better!"

"Want to stop me, Arkyn?" he shouted back, "What are you going to do to stop me?" _Forget it, Arkyn. No one can stop me now!_

"Very simple", was the dry reply, "I'm going in."

_What?_

Arkyn's Oppressor simply overtook him, having energy from shields and weapons transferred to the engines. The fighter mad a half barrel-roll, the hatch flew open and a small figure jumped out, flying like a rock towards the ground.

_Curse you, Arkyn! You know__ exactly I can't attack you! _He called up his sensors. There wasn't much to see thanks to the jamming field, but he could locate the center of the field. _Hokay, let's do something else…_

* * *

Wan'ber – Dolkar Sector  
Lower Atmosphere – Free fall  
Later

Arkyn fell. He spread out his senses with the force and could feel the freedom of the air around him. The flowing of the airstreams, the clouds, the birds… He took off his helmet and held it with his outstretched arm. With incredible force the cool air hit his face. But he did not fight against it, he accepted it. He let the air – and the force – flow around him, through him and let them made him one of them – he was the air.

But the closer he came to the ground, the more he could feel the reason why he was here. The fear, the dying, the hate. He did not know whether Tel stopped his bombing run – although he knew there was a strong chance that he would – but what he knew was that right now down there imperial citizens needed his help.

He focused. He focused on the life forms down there and found four of them. Four that weren't human but directly beneath him. He swung his arms and made his body spinning around its axis and at the right moment, he let his helmet go - accelerating it towards the ground. He clipped his lightsaber off his belt and started the same manoeuvre again.

_No more gam__es, Inquisitor! Let's fight!_

The red blade flew towards its target, leaving a red trail in the air. Then he stopped rotating and dived again head-forward. He drew his Scout Trooper blaster pistol, aimed and shot.

* * *

Wan'ber – Dolkar Sector  
Camp Heijden – Another Hell  
A few moments later

Arrokka fired his T-21 repeating blaster into another group of running girls. They were annihilated in the blast. _How does it feel, Imps? How does it feel to be hunted like animals? _Three of his fellow Wookiees were with him. Arrokka saw another group of humans running towards a bungalow. He opened fire but the girls were already too far away and they made it into house. Arrokka turned around towards his comrades.

(Time for a little siege!) He shouted. With loud howling, his comrades agreed. Then something strange happened. One Wookiee was suddenly hit by a black orb that fell from the sky and knocked him on the ground. Before the other ones could even ask themselves what just had happened, a second Wookiee was hit by a disc of red light and got sliced up in the middle. A rain of red blasterfire came down from above on the third Wookiee of Arrokka's group. Some bolts hit the Wookiee, but some also missed. The Wookiee howled in pain, but he still stood. He raised his face towards the sky and howled, showing his strength and challenge. A black figure landed directly on the face of the Wookiee and stomped him into the ground. That happened with such a speed and velocity that the shockwave of the impact tossed grass and earth into the air.

When Arrokka lowered his arm he could see a young human boy standing on the remnants of what had once been a proud Wookiee warrior. As if it would be the most normal thing in the universe, the boy – hardly older than most of the girls he had hunted – reloaded a blaster pistol before he raised his head and looked with grim determination at Arrokka.

The Wookiee threw away his blaster rifle and drew two ryyk kerarthorr blades off his belt. He screamed at Arkyn and moved forward. Immediately Arkyn raised his blaster and fired. His shot his the Wookie just above his right eye, but that didn't seem to bother him much.

_That's a joke, right?_

His scout blaster had a capacity for eight shots. Seven shots followed, in the torso, arms and shoulders, but filled with rage the Wookiee continued his attack.

_You've got to be kidding me! Are you invincible?_

The Wookiee jumped and was right above him, ready to strike. But Arkyn remained calm – fear and panic didn't belong on a battlefield. While the whole world around him seemed to go on slower, even stopped, he dropped his blaster and called his lightsaber back into his hands. One swing and the Wookiee was sliced up in the middle, from head to hips: The lifeless remnants fell on the ground.

_When this whole thing is over, I'll get a __blaster with more firepower!_

* * *

Wan'ber – Dolkar Sector  
Camp Heijden – Near the Camp's center  
Same Time

Aurelia crawled out of the bushes and the end of the acclivity. The Wookiee that had grabbed her had knocked himself unconscious during their fall, but Aurelia still felt a little dizzy. Also, the thorns of the bushes had cut in her bare arms, legs and belly and had completely ruined her cheerleader uniform. But right now, she had other things to worry about.

She saw the camp's center in front of her. It was a small building but contained the main communication array of the whole camp. _Great, let's call for help!_ She run towards the building but stopped when she saw something: A freighter stood directly next to the building, a place that was for sure _no_ spaceport. The class was not unknown to Aurelia; she had already seen a few of them.

_SoroSuub_ B'zabuu_-class. Standard model except for the large antenna…_

_Stupid Girl!_, she scolded herself, _the only reason why nobody has called for help yet is because no one could! This is a military-grade 200a-SIG jamming device. My dad has one of them in his lab. But this thing isn't strong enough to cover the whole area unless… Of course! Unless you couple it with a more powerful unit to serve as transceiver! The center's comm.-array! That's why they parked their freighter here!_

Aurelia moved closer to the freighter. She was crawling on her stomach, ignoring the stones, splinters and several insects. One person, a Duros was standing next to the lowered ramp of the freighter. He was armed with a DH-17 blaster pistol, but that wouldn't be a problem. She surrounded the freighter, grabbing a large branch from the ground. Sneaking up behind the Duros, she slammed the branch into his back. She would have preferred the head, but unfortunately the Duros was a _little_ larger than her.

The Duros cried in pain and turned around, drawing his blaster. Aurelia swung the branch and hit his weapon's hand. The first shot got high in the air but the Duros did not drop the weapon. He aimed again but Aurelia dropped the branch, turned a perfect somersault over him and the next shot hit nothing but thin air. Landing on her feet, Aurelia directly began a flic-flac, jumping on her hands, staying there and swung her strong legs. The Duros had half-way turned around when Aurelia's feet hit his face and made him stumbling backwards. Aurelia pushed herself off the ground, starting a flic-flac backwards, bringing her back where she had been right after the somersault. Right then she made a roundhouse kick, knocking the Duros out for good.

Aurelia bent down to pick up the blaster when a sharp pain hit her back. Thousands of megavolt shot through her body engulfing her in blue and white electric sparkles. She cried in pain until her lungs were out of air and her unconscious body hit the ground.

Dllr Nep, the Sullustan co-pilot lowered his stun baton. (They always forget about the little guy), he commented before he helped Brewker back on his feet. (This little brat gave you a sound beating, didn't she?)

(Shut up, Dllr), Brewker said, rubbing his chin. He looked down to the stunned girl. (Who is she anyway?)

(You mean, except for ticket out of here?) Dllr shrugged and started dragging Aurelia into the ship. (I have no idea. No let's get this piece of junk started!)

(Wait, what about the Wookiees?) Brewker asked.

(Who cares?) Dllr shouted back, (There is an imperial cap ship in orbit heading directly towards our location. Starfighters have already been launched and I guess local security is already on its way. I don't know about you, but I'm gone!)

(Yes, you're right. Let's go.) After having spend the last days with Trybokk and his crew of fanatic Wookiees he was sure that the Rebellion would be better off without them.

* * *

Wan'ber – Dolkar Sector  
Camp Heijden – Central Building (Storage Room)  
Same Time

Julia Geist didn't know what was happening. Just a moment ago she had been a happy young woman working for the COMPNOR SAGroup at one of the most beautiful places of this sector and now she was in some dark room, tied to a chair surrounded by three mean-looking Wookiees. The first Wookiee – the most intimidating one – standing right in front of her began to speak. She didn't understand anything but soon after he had finished, two orange lights appeared in the darkness. They got closer and were revealed as the optical sensors of an old HK-50 droid.

"Sadistic greeting: Welcome, human, to our revenge", he said in his mechanic voice.

"What are you talking about?" Julia asked, panic-stricken. "Who are you? What do you want?"

Again, the Wookiee said something and the droid translated. "Introduction: I am the father of the Wookiees you have killed. Threat: And now you will pay for this crime… With pain and blood."

Julia struggled against her bonds, now even more desperate than before. "I've never killed anyone!" she pleaded, "I'm just an organizer… an entertainer… I'm innocent…"

The Wookiee slapped her hard across her face that she feared her jaw might be broken. She tried to move it and found out that this was not the case, but it still hurt.

"Clarification", the droids translated, "In the Empire no one is innocent. Statement: You have been corrupted by evil and we will purify you… with fire." With these words, one of the Wookiees activated his C-22 flame rifle.

Julia wanted to scream but a firm hand taped her mouth with a stripe of duct tape, silencing her. The Wookiee with the flame rifle came closer.

"Back off, carpet boy!"

The Wookiees and the droid turned around and saw a young man leaning against the door frame. He was tall and muscular with black hair and was wearing a TIE-pilot jumpsuit, carrying the fitting helmet with one hand.

The leading Wookiee, Tel identified him as the slave-turned-terrorist Trybokk, was not pleased. "Demand: Who dares to interrupt this sacred moment?"

_Sacred?_

"Whoa", Tel waved his free hand, "Wait a sec, carpet boy, do you even hear yourself talking?"

Trybokk aimed his bowcaster at the woman's head. "Blackmail: Drop your weapon or this female will die."

"Sure, whatever you say", he answered casually, but in reality, he concentrated. _Three Wookiees. One with a flame rifle, two with bowcasters. The latter are more dangerous for me, but only one's aiming at me. Yeah, this will work!_

"Catch this!" he said and tossed his helmet towards the Wookiee right to Trybokk. Instinctively the Wookiee dropped his bowcaster and caught the helmet. Even faster than an eye needed to blink Tel drew his blaster pistol from his belt and fired: Two Wookiees, two shots. Both hit the Wookiees in the chest, sending both of them flying a few meters backwards through the air.

_SoroSuub Model 'Renegade' Super Heavy Blas__ter Pistol – No stun setting._

But Tel's actions also had an unwanted effect: As the Wookiees fell backwards, both weapons were fired, ripping away metal and tubes and setting the whole place on fire.

_Great Work, Tel…_

"Warning", the droid's voice came again, "I have warned you, tyrant. Now…"

"Don't even think of it, carpet boy", Tel said, aiming at Trybokk. "You would be dead before your thought even reached the trigger!" That was true. Now, concentrated, with the aid of the force, the Wookiee had no chance.

There were a few moments of silence, except for some whimpers of the woman who had still a bowcaster pointed at her head, and the crackling of fire that begun to consume the room.

_Time to end this stalemate!_

The force was his ally. One thought and Trybokk's bowcaster was pushed upwards, sending a green bolt into the fire. One clench of his fist and Julia's plasteel chair burst into a cloud of splinters. One movement with his open hand and an invisible blast of kinetic force power hit Trybokk in the face, making him stumble like a well beaten street-thug. One swung with his arm and a now free Julia was dragged over the ground towards the exit.

"Go!" Tel shouted, not leaving his eyes from the angered Wookiee. Julia crawled on her feet, running outside. "Seems like we're the only ones left!"

Trybokk was angry, even angrier than before. His well deserved revenge had been denied to him. Now this arrogant little pilot would pay. A howl of hate announced the fight; a clipped-off Ryyk blade opened it. "Challenge: Come and fight you little…"

Tel pushed the droid into the expanding flames. "I know what he meant", he said and then, turned towards Trybokk: "C'mon! I'm all yours!"

Trybokk didn't need to be encouraged. He stormed forward, his blade in an attack position. Flames surrounded him, making the ends of his long fur smoulder. His teeth were bared, announcing his will to kill. His eyes burned with the desire to finally have his revenge.

Tel didn't move. He awaited him. Only a few moments until Trybokk would be in range. But that was all he needed. The force was his ally. The force would give him the strength. He reached inside him. There it was: his inner flame. The same hate and anger that fuelled the Wookiee would also fuel him. His dark core, a black, burning sphere, the dark side of the force.

The Ryyk blade went down, too strong for any human to block, ready to cut. Hands and arms moved, too quickly for any eye to follow, and a red lance of light emerged in the air, forming an invincible barrier, empowered by the dark side and stopped the blade.

Eyes opened in confusion when they saw what had just stopped his revenge. The realisation was quickly. "That right, fur ball!" Tel said and pushed the Wookiee's blade away.

Two quick strikes, one from above and one from the right, then the Wookiee's defence was down. A fast death – he was sliced up from his right shoulder to his left hip – was more than he deserved. The massacres he had caused in his quest for revenge ever since he had broken his chains. He had been a good fighter. Experienced, strong and talented. But at the moment he saw the lightsaber, his will had been broken. He had remembered her, the woman from Kashyyyk, the witch Merili, who had broken him and enslaved him years ago. And so he had fallen to a young warrior that he might have defeated easily otherwise.

"That was too easy", Tel said to himself, then he turned towards the door. "But maybe I'm just lucky…" Just then he felt a presence in the force. Something was manipulated the force and… He quickly reacted and made a step backwards; just before the door case collapsed together with a part of the roof and blocked the exit. "Or, maybe not…"

He looked for the presence and found it. Another person was with him in the room. A force-sensitive person! Emerging from the flames, glowing red from the reflected light, with an orange-coloured lightsaber in his hand and orange-glowing eyes, was the HK-50 droid. Before Tel could make a comment, the droids voice, powered by the force filled the room:

"**Statement: There is no escape, darksider! You are trapped. Challenge: I am a Jedi Knight and High Marshal of the Republic and I will bring you justice!**"

Tel's jaw hit the ground. "You've got to be kidding!"

--End of Chapter 15--

* * *

**Author's notes:**

Now we finally see the climax of the side story of Trybokk's quest that had started in Chapter 5. His attack on the camp also marks the end of the alliance between this Wookiees and the Rebellion. After all, this was just a small bunch of escaped slaves from this sector, not representative for their whole race.

Although Brewker and Dllr and this alliance on their own, Irenez and her 'Commander' had already cut all connections with them – and the fanatics around Iran Kalamar in the last chapter.

The HK-50 droids are from _Knights of the Old Republic II_ and originally are assassin droids disguised as protocol droids. But this droid – his name Qixoni was mentioned in earlier chapters – is more than meets the eye…

The witch Merili that Trybokk remembers during his final moments is an insane Nightsister who rules over Kashyyk and its system during the days of the Empire.

-JCE1985


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**** – Fighting for Survival**

Wan'ber – Dolkar Sector  
Camp Heijden – Central Building (burning storage room)  
A few moments later

_Rrrraaaaaggghhhh!_

Tel attacked. Holding his saber with two hands, he ran towards his opponent. The droid – or whatever it was – didn't move. With one calm move of his arms he brought his saber up and blocked Tel's attack. His other arm shot up into the stomach of the darksider. Tel coughed and arched over the droid's fist, but he didn't let go of his saber. Somewhere between the pains that filled his mind he could feel a small rising in the force. A second too late Tel realised what was going on. The shockwave hurled him through the air, his saber slipped out of his fingers.

_Sithspawn, I__'m not going down against a _droid_!_

In the air he reached out with the force and controlled his flight, landing on his feet. Sliding backwards for a short moment, he mentally searched for his saber and found it between in the fire. It flew towards his hands. The gloves of the TIE-pilot jumpsuit were resistant to heat and fire, but as his fingers clenched the hilt, he could feel the warmth reaching his skin.

"Offer: Give up now, darksider!" the droid said, "Statement: I don't want to kill you, but I will if you leave me no choice!"

Tel didn't reply anything. Instead, he ignited his lightsaber again and with a loud battle cry of rage, he attacked again. Strong, powerful strokes came down on the droid known as Qixoni.

_Form V: Shien/Djem so –__ The way of the Krayt Dragon._

Concentration on physical strength to overwhelm your weaker enemy. But Qixoni wasn't weak, he was fast. While the fire spread out and made the room like one of the nine Corellian hells, none of Tel's attacks landed a hit, much to the frustration of the darksider.

His blue eyes turned orange, his vision got blurred and his mind was filled with blind fury. There wasn't fire; there wasn't heat – Only his opponent, a simple droid that was mocking him. He didn't hear his own cry that came from his mouth. He didn't hear the groaning metal or the searing plasteel.

Another stroke. High from above his head he aimed at the droid. Qixoni dodged again with by stepping aside, but this time the hilt of his orange blade shot up and was slammed at Tel's temples. Using the disorientation of the Dark Jedi, Qixoni made two small moves with his blade and disarmed Tel. Not allowing him any recovery, he grabbed Tel with the force, paralysed him and lifted him up.

Tel could feel the force field immobilizing him. The rage that filled him gave him strength in the dark side and he pulled with all his might against the invisible grip. He wanted to get free. He wanted to destroy this ancient piece of junk. But it didn't work.

"Statement: The dark side is a path to nowhere, youngling. Your hate is not the answer. Demand: Look inside you. There is a man. And as a human, you are an illuminated being of the force. You are more than an animal. Search for your peace."

But as Qixoni looked up into the young man's eyes, there was no peace, only hate. Hate powered by humiliation, disgust and the dark side. He couldn't save him. One move of his and Tel was slammed into the wall. Pipelines and plated, weakened by the fire rained down on the young darksider.

Rage. That was the only word that fitted to describe Tel's state. Hot metal and plasteel burned through his jumpsuit and touched his skin. The pain made it only easier for him to forget anything about control and sanity. The junk that covered him was bumped away with a shockwave, he jumped on his feet faster than any other human could and instinctively, his saber found its way into his hands.

His left arm had caught fire, but he didn't care. Now anything that had been a higher being of evolution had been eradicated. Only wild and dark emotions, instincts and drives dominated his mind. No more technique in his attacks, only one wish: to kill! Wild cries attended his attacks, but these weren't the cries of a human but of a wild animal – a wild brute predator with the power of the dark side.

Somehow, this degeneration proved effective. Unable to predict or analyse the attacks of the Dark Jedi, Qixoni was driven back. He couldn't evade the attacks any more. He could still block the attacks, but even for his droid body, the attacks were too strong. His defence became more desperate and somehow his opponent knew it. The back of his torso hit the end of the room. Tel had him corned. Stroke after stroke hit the orange blade. One was strong enough to push this last barrier away and make room for the final blow.

_Finally!_ The enemy was beaten! The beautiful feeling of victory and domination filled his mind as Tel raised his blade for the final strike. He was focused on his opponent. Nothing could stop him now.

Suddenly a large pipe was ripped out of the wall and hit him from the left. Moved by the force the pipe pushed Tel against the wall. But his way didn't end there. Weakened by the fire, the wall broke and suddenly, Tel was outside the burning inferno. Together with the pipe he rolled down an acclivity.

After his rolling had finally stopped, he got up again. Where was his opponent? He was disoriented, but his wrath wasn't satisfied. Suddenly a stream of white fog engulfed him. Rapid clouds of cool foam reached his skin, putting down the fire but also stinging in the wounds. Letting out a scream of pain, Tel collapsed on the ground. The white gas reached his lungs, making him cough.

Now finally his eyes could see clear again, not through a veil of fury, but like a normal injured young man. Somebody bowed above him. He didn't recognize him, but at the moment, he didn't care. His little outburst in the storage room, all the fire and his burns had cost him a lot of his energy. He was tired.

"I found another one!" he heard the man with the fire extinguisher say, "I need a medic over here!"

A medic? That was good. The pain was nearly unbearable. But as much as the pain hindered his mind to catch a clear thought to calm, there was also the exhaustion that claimed more and more of his body. Finally, there was only darkness.

* * *

Wan'ber – Planetary orbit  
ISS _Bauxite Hammer_ – Bridge  
Same time

The mood on the small bridge of the Corvette wasn't very good. They all knew what was going on down there: The normal sensors had been jammed, but the normal cameras could still deliver a picture of the massacre. They had informed the local authorities and garrisons and the two Elites had left in their starfighters. That was all they could have done – now they could only wait.

Ever since he gave the launch order, Captain Long hadn't said a single word – neither had one of his bridge officers. It was a silent waiting for any answers from the surface, hoping that everything was all right.

Finally, the silence was broken by Lieutenant Fein from the sensor station: "Sir, I have some strange energy reading on my scanners", she said.

"What?" Captain Long replied, "Could you be a little bit more specific?"

"Yes, sir. I'm picking up ionization and radiation readings from a ship's engine, but there is no ship!"

"Get me a visual", Captain Long ordered, "Maximum zoom!"

A large holoscreen appeared before the main window. The large green and blue orb of Wan'ber was even larger now and a small white object could be seen flying towards the ship's camera.

"Well, I see a ship", the captain commented.

"I know, sir", Fein replied. "But the sensors say there is none."

Long walked to her station. "Let me see this", he said, "Are you sure your equipment isn't faulty?"

This incident had caught the attention of lieutenant Caybasi. Although he wasn't part of the ship's bridge crew, he had remained there, in case his help was needed. "Maybe I can help", he said, taking out his data pad. "I think this the freighter we're looking for."

He walked to the sensor station and started to modify some adjustments. "The Rebels had a sensor cloaking system installed on their ship", he said, more to himself than to the other persons, "Since we know the specifications of the device, we should be able to overcome their cloaking field. Maybe when I alter the frequencies…"

"It worked!" the sensor officer shouted as the ship appeared on her readings. "You were right, Lieutenant, this is the _Starlight Wookiee_. Captain, what are your orders?"

"Hail them."

"Channel is open", Zam, from the com-station, said, "You can speak."

"Attention Rebel freighter, this is Captain Long of the Imperial corvette _Bauxite Hammer_. You are hereby under arrest for treason and terrorist activities against the Galactic Empire. Stand down and prepare to be boarded. You have five seconds."

There were a few moments of silence and everyone counted down the short ultimatum. "Any answers?"

"No sir", Zam replied.

"Captain", the Fein said again, "they have deactivated their cloaking device and are accelerating outside the gravity field of the planet."

"Weapons!" the captain ordered.

"Warhead launcher has target locked!" came the reply from Yaro, the weapons officer.

"Fire one!"

Wan'ber – Planetary orbit

_Starlight Wookiee_ – Bridge

A few moments earlier

"(The corvette is still closing in, Dllr)" Brewker said, looking at the display showing the Imperial _Assassin_-class ship.

"(Ignore it. They can't see us. For them, we're nothing but background scatter)", his co-pilot replied, concentrating on the controls.

"(Really?)" Brewker said nervously, looking at the blinking light on his console. "(Well, they're calling us.)"

"(What?)" Now he saw the light, too. "(But how… Blast, I knew we couldn't trust that mechanic…)"

"Attention Rebel freighter, this is…" a human voice came from the speakers, before Dllr slammed his fist on a button and cut the message off.

"(Brewker, get us out of here)", Dllr shouted, getting off from his seat, "(I'll get our bargaining chip!)" With these words he vanished out of the cockpit

* * *

Wan'ber – Planetary orbit_  
Starlight Wookiee_ – Cargo hold  
Same Time

_What__ the kriff is going on here…_ were Aurelia's first thoughts but then she scolded herself since her father wouldn't allow such language. She opened her eyes and looked around. Judging from the messy surroundings, the Wookiee smell and the subtle movements of the whole room she was sure that she was onboard a starship. And probably not any ship but the same _B'zabuu_-class freighter she had seen on

She tried to get up and found out that not only her hands were tied behind her back but also that her back was still hurting from the taser staff that had hit her. Luckily that wasn't the first time that she had been hit with such a thing so she was used to the side effects.

The door to the cargo hold opened and Aurelia saw a small Sullustan with a horrible goatee and a blaster. He looked at her and said: "(You're awake, good.)"

"Sorry", Aurelia replied defiantly, "I don't speak animal language!" _That wasn't true. She understood numerous galactic languages, but she didn't feel cooperative today._

The Sullustan ignored what she said and just grabbed her, tugging her on her feet. "Hey!" she protested.

"I have weapon, you quiet!" he said in basic, but with a horrible accent. Then he pushed her towards the door. "You talk to Imps, Imps let us go!"

"Forget it!" Aurelia said and stopped, turning around to her captor. She really hoped that these Rebels needed her that much and wouldn't just shoot her when she didn't cooperate.

The Sullustan stepped forward and pushed the barrel of his blaster into Aurelia's bare midriff. Aurelia braced herself.

"Go!" The Sullustan ordered again.

Just before Aurelia could make another comment, the ship quaked. Due to the fact that the inertial compensators had already outlived their good days, Aurelia and Dllr could feel the sharp turn of the freighter. Both lost their balance and Aurelia fell on the small Rebel. Dllr tossed her aside very quickly and ran to an intercom.

"(Brewker, what are you doing?)" He shouted into the com, "(This isn't the Blockade Runner Derby!)"

"(Tell that to the missile!)" was the static reply.

"(What mis…)"

A loud thunder rolled through the ship and Aurelia and Dllr flew into a bunch of loose crates as sparks and metal fragments filled the air and the lights went off.

* * *

Wan'ber – Planetary orbit  
ISS _Bauxite Hammer_ – Bridge  
Same time

Long and Caybasi watched the damaged freighter drifting after the concussion missile had hit the ship's main engines.

"Critical hit", Lieutenant Fein reported, "Hyperdrive destroyed, Engines destroyed, Communication offline, Weapons offline, Cloaking offline, Life support damaged, Structure damaged, Energy levels critical…"

Captain Long smiled and waited "Is there enough energy left for self-destruction?"

"No, sir!"

"Very well, begin boarding operations!"

Wan'ber – Planetary orbit

_Starlight Wookiee_ – Cargo hold

A few moments after the impact

This time it was Aurelia who recovered faster. The ship was completely dark except for the stroboscopic effects of sparkling cables. Despite the fact that her hands were still tied behind her back, she jumped on her feet. Dllr was standing again, too, but he was still disoriented. He raised his blaster, but Aurelia made a quick kick and the blaster flew into the darkness. Using her momentum she continued with a roundhouse kick that hit the Sullustan in the face, taking him out for good.

After taking a satisfied look at the unconscious Rebel, Aurelia found a sharp piece of metal to cut the duct tape that bound her hands. Not entirely painless, but acceptable compared to what she had to endure earlier today.

She carefully stalked her way through the ship. Luckily, there weren't any other Rebels onboard. And no Wookiees! Beating a Wookiee as a human was not impossible, as she had proven, but that doesn't mean it was easy.

Since the ship was not very large, she found the bridge very quickly. This was good, since she had to contact the imperial ship out there or whoever was shooting. Dying at the hands of Rebels was one thing, but because of some trigger-happy imperial gunners? Not so much.

She looked through the door into the cockpit. It was empty except for another alien, a Duros this time, who was lying over the controls. He was still knocked out, but was regaining conscious slowly.

"(Oohh…)", Brewker moaned. The impact of the missile had been harder than expected. He saw stars – real stars – and was still breathing. That meant that that the ship was still intact. A console sent out some blue sparkles and Brewker winced. _(Well, mostly intact…)_

Then he heard some steps. Soft steps as far as he could determine with his headache. "(Dllr?)" he asked, "(Is that you…?)"

He turned his chair around and the last thing he saw was a large iron bar.

* * *

Wan'ber – Planetary orbit_  
Starlight Wookiee_ – Corridor  
Half an hour later

The searing flames of the fusion cutters finished their way around the hatch of the freighter. With a loud bang it hit the ground and Imperial Navy Troopers swarmed into the freighter. They had expected a lot of things, but not this: A teenaged girl in a tattered cheerleader uniform sitting on top of two well tied-up aliens.

"Finally", Aurelia commented, exhausted but happy to be still alive. "What took you so long?"

--End of Chapter 16--

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

-The chapter starts right where the last chapter ended. The droid Tel is fighting is an old HK-50 model from _Knights of the Old Republic II_. Those who know some of the more obscure parts of Star Wars canon might know why his name is Qixoni and why he is wielding a lightsaber.

-I like to show as much individuality of the characters as passable, that's why most of the bridge crew have names. Although it's unlikely that they may be seen again, they are not 'standard background characters'.

-After going down a little too easily in the last chapter, Aurelia once again shows that she is no easy opponent.

-After this little interlude is over (Which was roughly inspired by a Kim Possible Episode, btw), the next chapter will lead towards the final confrontation between Empire, Rebels and Jedi.

-JCE1985


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17 – Departure**

Marol – Dolkar Sector  
Jedi Citadel – Private Quarters  
A few days earlier

Master Aqinos was a very worried man. He could feel the grasp of the Empire getting tighter. Within a month the Empire had found out about the existence of his new order. Three of his students killed, one had fallen to the dark side and four ones were missing. The Rebellion had blamed his Padawan for all of this.

But hadn't he always been a good Master? Hadn't he always taught him the way of the Jedi? He couldn't have done all this.

He was too… _good_.

But now he had his doubts. His Padawan had promised to search for Cassidy Nolan, the fallen student, but now he had disappeared! Together with three other students! He watched at the hologram in front of him. The person he was talking to could see his worries.

"I know that you have to evacuate the Academy, Master Aqinos", the hologram of Iran Kalamar said, "but I also know how important moral support can be."

"And I really appreciate your offer, triumvir Kalamar. But we are really in a hurry over here."

"I will come with an escort. With these additional ships, the evacuation should go on a little bit faster." He paused for a moment. "Let me talk to your students, Master Aqinos. After what they have been through, they need some encouraging words."

Aqinos could feel that it was wrong. He shouldn't allow this. But then again, he could also feel the logic in Kalamar's words. He was now the Grand Master of the Jedi Order. It was his duty to take care of his students. So he had to so the right thing. "Alright, Kalamar", he finally said, "You may come."

* * *

Wan'ber – Dolkar Sector  
Camp Heijden – Temporary HQ  
An hour after the attack

Arkyn was observing several screens, reading the numbers. They didn't show him something special, he just wanted to distract himself. Tel was here, too. He was sitting in a chair and was getting his wounds treated by a medic. He wasn't badly hurt – not as bad as some of the girls – but it wasn't something to be taken lightly, too: Nearly his complete left arm was covered in burns, as well as several lighter burns, cuts and bruises all over his body.

Medics, security troopers and even some stormtroopers swarmed all over the camp. They were looking for possible remaining Rebels but mainly for other victims: Several kids had run away in shock, possible wounded and were now hiding somewhere.

There wasn't much he could do now. The force was shattered and the whole camp was engulfed in a dithered field of fear and pain. For him, locating individual beings, filled with these emotions and that didn't want to be found, was impossible. So all he could do now was waiting, maybe coordinating the search parties or help otherwise.

A light blinked on a console: A call from the _Bauxite Hammer_. The small hologram showed Zam, the comm-officer from the corvette.

"Sir, there's a long-distance-call for you from Cyphar", he said, "Holo-Net."

_Probably the Inquisitor…_ "Thank you, Ensign", Arkyn said, "Link it down here."

"Yes, sir." The officer vanished and a loading screen appeared. After a few moments, a new person materialized. It wasn't the Inquisitor.

"Hello Arkyn", Cassidy's hologram said, "I hope I didn't disturb you."

"No", Arkyn replied, sounding as tired as he was, "No, you didn't."

"Hey, look who got a call from his girlfriend!" Tel mocked.

"Hold still, would you?" The medic protested.

"Shut up!" Arkyn said and then turned back towards the projector. "How can I help you?"

She wasn't sure how to begin. "You- you are on Wan'ber, right? I heard it in the news. Is it really that bad?"

Arkyn looked down and made a deep sigh. "There is a lot of propaganda in the news, I guess, so don't take everything for granted." He paused. "But so far, yes, it looks pretty bad."

"How many?" She asked.

"I don't know. They still found new wounded and dead every minute. Hospitals are cramped. It's too early to say anything, but currently: Dozens and over a hundred injured."

"By the force…" she gasped.

There was a long silence over the comm-channel. Neither of the two knew what to say. Finally, Cassidy broke the silence.

"Arkyn", she begun softly, "I don't want to be part of this anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"The Rebellion, the Jedi, all of this. If that what happened on Wan'ber is all this Rebellion is about, then I don't want to be part of this anymore!"

* * *

Wan'ber – Dolkar Secot  
ISS _Bauxite Hammer_ – Sickbay  
Same Time

The scanner lowered over her face once again and Aurelia was getting impatient. Since the troopers had found her on the freighter, they had put her together with this strange MD-5 droid who called himself "Doc F", who had nothing better to do but to scan her over and over again. Sure, she had gotten some cuts and scratches – and a stun baton right into her back – but that hadn't been the first time. She had no idea what was going on down on the planet, but she was sure she could help. And her friends needed her!

The doors opened and a young man entered the sickbay. He wasn't one of the ship's crew – she could tell by the uniform. Black was the colour of imperial Intelligence. That was good and bad. Good for him since it wasn't certainly his fault that she was still stuck in here so there was no reason to beat him up. And it was bad since there was still nobody who could tell her how to get off this _karking_ ship!

The man with the insignia of a Lieutenant had a duffel bag slung over his shoulder and greeted her with a smile.

"Good day, Miss Glermin", he said, "I'm Lieutenant Jaios Caybasi. How are you doing?"

"Terrible", she replied, visibly annoyed, "I'm stuck with this piece of junk while my friends might need my help! I need to go back to Wan'ber!"

"Don't worry", he assured her, "Everything is already taken care of…"

"Good, then let's…" she jumped down the bed but the droid hold her back.

"…once you get the medical clearance", Caybasi finished.

"And we are not finished here yet", Doc F said.

"I've told you I'm fine!" Aurelia growled.

"You have been hit by a high-charged stun baton", Doc F replied and started to scan her again, "this something not to be taken lightly."

He retracted his scanner and let go of the teenager. "But apparently you have received no permanent damage. I suggest a few days of rest and you should be checked again by a doctor, just to be sure."

"Whatever", she started and got off the bed. "Let's go!"

Barely audible, Doc F said something in Rodese.

Aurelia turned around. "Hey, I heard that you stupid tin…"

Caybasi interrupted her. "Please, Miss Glermin", he said, "Your shuttle is waiting. This way, please."

She growled and glared at the droid, but finally left with Caybasi. Outside in the corridor Caybasi handed her over the duffel bag.

"Here are some clothes for you. I thought you might need them."

Aurelia blushed, realising that she was wearing only a skimpy hospital gown (and her cheerleader uniform had been in a non-wearable condition, after all). She took the bag.

"Thank you", she said.

"No problem", Caybasi said, remaining in his neutral tone, "By the way, I should mention that your father is on his way."

"What?" Not that there was anything wrong with it, she was just used to handle things on her own and her father never had any problems with that. In fact, he was even proud of her being so independent.

"After he heard what happened, he took the _Ice Flower_ and left immediately", Caybasi explained, "He is worried about you. You can't blame a father for this."

"I'm not. It's just… unusual. When will he arrive?"

Caybasi opened the door to the hangar bay. "Considering the fact the _Ice Flower_ has one of your father's upgraded hyperdrives, I would say… tomorrow."

Aurelia walked over a ramp to the hatch of the ISP-6 shuttle pod and turned around. "Good bye Lieutenant. Thank you for everything. May the Emperor smile on you!"

"You're welcome, Miss Glermin. Good bye and good luck for your life."

The door closed and the pod was released. It fell down through the magnetic containment field and towards the blue and green planet below the ship.

* * *

Wan'ber – Dolkar Sector  
ISS _Bauxite Hammer_ – Briefing Room  
A few hours later

Caybasi was standing at the end of the desk and read his datapad. Tel and Arkyn had sat down, waiting for the start. The table had several holoprojectors that showed persons from all over the sector:

--Commander Jex, who was already again on Marol, observing the Jedi

--Inquisitor Redge, Lox and Cassidy who were on the _Black Citadel_ over Cyphar

--Vice-Admiral Gordon on his flagship _Fragmentation_ and Commodore Farah, the Chalactan woman from the _Prince of Time_. Both holograms of the two fleet officers were transmitted from the Crimson Diamond Fleet Base _Crimson-4_, a Type-II deep space dock over Telemita, the Sector Fleet's headquarter.

Caybasi was once again holding one of his reports, which was transmitted via his hologram to all of the persons on the table as well as the holograms of Tel and Arkyn. It was an interplanetary HoloNet conference – a privilege restricted to the Imperial military, since its dismantling years ago.

"It's been a while since we all had come together", Caybasi begun, "But a lot of things have happened. It's time to end this campaign!

"We now know for certain that we're facing the Rebel Cell under Iran Kalamar. Apparently he has brought together several remaining cells. How he did this remains uncertain, since many of these groups had rejected his radical approach in the past."

"Maybe Endor changed their mind", the Vice-Admiral said.

"Maybe." Caybasi continued, "But we'll worry about that another time. Kalamar had also built a complete shadow network in the sector, directly under our beloved Moff's nose. We'll also worry about him later on. Thanks to the _Morrt_-droids we could eliminate nearly all Rebel outposts in this sector, with the only remaining places being C'tau III, the Reltek-Nebula and Marol in the Stormhawk-System. One of the droids was onboard the _Starlight Wookiee_, by the way.

"C'tau III might house a yet unknown Rebel Cell and is checked by Operative Raum and his Commando escort. If he finds anything, he'll report. Vice-Admiral, you'll take care of Reltek, am I right?"

"Yes, Lieutenant", the small hologram said. "I have lost too many ships there and the Rebels are definitely hiding something, even if it's only their fleet. I have assembled the 2nd Force Superiority and will personally crush these traitors there."

"That's good to hear", the Inquisitor said, "That leaves Marol for us. My warriors, you'll reunite with my fleet. We'll attack the Jedi there."

"The Jedi are another interesting fact", Caybasi said. "Other than we had suspected at first, there seems to be a secret cell of Jedi in this sector and not a single rouge force-user."

"I guess someone at the Inquisitorius didn't do his job properly", Tel mocked, "Isn't it your job to find all the force-users in the galaxy?"

"Indeed", Redge replied, ignoring the mocking, "I will mention this fact once we have returned to the Core. Go on, Lieutenant."

"Thanks to you, Miss Nolan, we could identify all the Jedi. We suspect around twenty to thirty Jedi at Marol, including their Master and our mysterious Jedi."

"Twenty!" Tel interrupted, "Kriff, someone really didn't do his job!"

"Like the Rebel fleet", Caybasi begun again, "they come from all over the galaxy, Kailion, Seltos and Garos IV in our cases. We suspect that their Master, a certain 'Aqinos' is helping to find new recruits. Afterall, he might be a real Jedi Master"

"Just a second", Arkyn interrupted, "A real Jedi? And a Master? Isn't this a little too much speculation?"

"As far-fetched as that droid Jedi down on Wan'ber", Tel commented.

"And the inquisitorial Databank confirms that there has been an 'Aqinos' in the Jedi Order, but he was expelled after the Arkanian Revolution in 31 Before Empire."

Now the Inquisitor spoke up. "Droid Jedi?"

"Yes", Arkyn said, "Tel claims to be attacked by a droid with a lightsaber who could use the force. But we searched the ruins. There was nothing."

"I'm telling the truth!" Tel insisted, "Why doesn't anybody believe me?"

"You have to admit", Arkyn calmed his friend, "That the story is indeed hard to believe, isn't it?"

"A droid Jedi", the Inquisitor mumbled, "This is really interesting. Do you know anything about it, Cassidy?"

"No, not at all…" She sounded unsure. She was telling the truth, but there was the fear that they won't believe her. "Master Aqinos always surrounded himself with droids, but I never noticed any force-sensitive ones."

"Inquisitor?" Arkyn asked.

"I have a theory. I'll check it later. We have more important things to do. Lieutenant?"

"We now come to the leaders of the battle plan: As already mentioned, Vice-Admiral Gordon will attack Reltek and we'll strike at Marol. Miss Nolan, you said that there are no defences at the training camp?"

"No", she said, "The greatest defence is its secrecy. A concentration of ships would only draw attention."

"Yet my droids have confirmed the presence of the at least three ships in orbit around Marol. How can we explain this?"

"Ahm…"

"Evacuation ships", Commander Jex said, "Since you disappeared from the Academy, they think they're discovered, so they're packing."

"Which means we have to strike as soon as possible!" Arkyn proclaimed.

"As I said…", Caybasi continued. "We will once again get the _Prince of Time _and this time the complete Battle Squadron plus additional recon ships. We have a rendezvous point in deep space. Our fleet from Cyphar as well as the _Bauxite Hammer_ will meet with Commodore Farah's fleet. We will regroup and then attack. Our two Elites will lead the FIRST-platoon in the initial attack on the Academy while Commodore Farah will eliminate any hostility in space. That's the basic plan. More once we are all together. Any questions?"

There were none.

_Finally_, Arkyn thought, thinking of what he saw down on Wan'ber: _These were civilians… Innocent people who wanted to celebrate the beginning of the new year. Sure, it was also an anniversary for the Empire, but that's no reason. Now, the new year was about to begin with another battle. And like so often, it was supposed to be the last of all battle, the one that will bring peace forever. I just hope so… 30 After Empire, what a start… _

* * *

Wan'ber – Dolkar Sector  
Near Nav-Buoy #557 – ISS _Bauxite Hammer_  
A few moments later

The _Assassin_-class Corvette moved silently through the empty space. Elegantly, the white ships distanced itself more and more from the planet that had just been site of one of most cruel massacres in recent history. The ship turned its back on the site, but not on the event: Vengeance will be its mission and blood will be paid. For every innocent that died, ten Rebels will fall. That was a promise.

The large engine flared up, sending their blue light as a beacon of hope and then the ship vanished into hyperspace.

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector  
ISS _Black Citadel_ – Arena  
Evening

"Laaaaaaadies and Gentlemeeeeeen! Welcome to the Arena! A new year is coming and what better way to celebrate it than with a big! Epic! Fight!"

_What was that voice?_ She opened her eyes. She stood up and looked around: she was in a bowl-shaped room. There were no edges. Near the ceiling, there were long, horizontal black windows, but she could see no one behind them. It was an arena, but what was she doing here?

Then it hit her: The interrogation, the endless suffering in the dark chambers of the _Black Citadel_, the Inquisitor, smiling as he invaded her brain with the force while she cried and begged for her life – it all came back to her.

_Where am I? What happened?_

Her clothes had been replaced with a grey overall, black boots and gloves and a black cuirass. On her belt, a cylinder-shaped object had been clipped on – her lightsaber. She immediately recognized her work, but why would they give it back to her?

She pressed the switch and the green blade sprung to life. A hard slam against the ground only resulted in a storm of red-glowing sparkles. _Lightsaber-resistant plating – What else?_

Everything suddenly turned into darkness as the lights were switched off except for a single spotlight focused on her. Over the speakers, the same voice as before spoke again: "And here's our first combatant. Young, but surly talented: A true Jedi! Place your bets, Ladies and gentlemen; this will truly be an epic battle!

_What__ the…?_

The spotlights left her and focused on a part of the walls. With a loud mechanic shriek a gate, integrated in the wall in front of her, opened and gave view to the darkness behind it. Mechanic stomps got louder and a nearly three-meter tall figure entered the arena.

"And here is… Well I certainly don't have to introduce him. We all know him as the bodyguard of our beloved Inquisitor, but tonight, he has left this place only for you, ladies and gentlemen, to bring you this fight! Welcome him with a loud applause, the one and only, indomitable, invincible….. Lox!"

The droid had the body shaped like a millennia-old LB-series worker and the menacing four-eyed head of an A-series combat droid, but the model itself was far younger: A Mark-XI-Executioner.

Lox approached the young girl that held her lightsaber in a defensive stance. That was one of the rare opportunities of a real fight. Sure, as the bodyguard of his master he couldn't complain about a _lack_ of work. But deep at his _heart_ – if that's an appropriate term for a droid – he was still a gladiator. He had been constructed to fight _and_ to entertain. And today was his chance: Not only to satisfy his master, but also himself. _And he would!_

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector  
ISS _Black Citadel_ – Arana/Inquisitor's lounge  
A few moments later

The weapons clashed and the fight had begun. It was transmitted all over the – this time even all over the small fleet that travelled with the _Black Citadel_. Everyone had heard about Wan'ber and everyone was demanding Revenge.

Inquisitor Loam Redge leant in a comfortable divan and enjoyed the show. Next to him, Captain Valtyne was doing the same. The captain was not only the trusted commander of the Inquisitor's ship; he was also the person that had held the introducing speech of the battle.

"Nice speech, by the way", Redge said as he took another fruit from a table.

"Thank you, Inquisitor", the Captain replied, "It runs in my family. My father moderated shockboxing fights when he was younger."

"Interesting, my captain. What about the preparations to the fleet? Are we ready to leave?"

"Everything is set, Inquisitor. Once this fight is finished, we'll for the Stormhawk-System."

* * *

**Author's notes:**

At first I want to say I'm sorry for the long wait, but between writer's block, exams, seminars and some other things, I had little time to work on this. Hopefully, the next chapter will be finished a lot sooner.

-For those who want to keep track of the Jedi, here are their numbers (so far):

--Aqinos – the Master plus twenty-six students, one Padawan and one mysterious droid Jedi

--The three dead:

--Irina Gels, a human female from Kailion, died in this chapter

--Iranak Irasakara, a Tarro male from Seltos, died in chapter 7

--Jodo Alenn, a human male, died in chapter 11

--The four missing:

--Djerok, the Padawan

--Laros Ben, a human male from Dellalt

--Belran Ka'tas, a Bothan male from Bothawui

--Nieron, a Zabrak male from Nar Shaddaa

--The one 'fallen to the Dark Side':

--Cassidy Nolan, a human female from Garos IV

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave a review. Thanks.

-JCE1985


	18. Chapter 18

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed my story so far. Here's the next chapter!

* * *

**Chapter ****18 – The Battle of Marol**

BlackHawk System – Dolkar Sector  
ISS _Bauxite Hammer_ – Private Quarters  
Galactic Standard: Noon of the third day

With a pseudo-blink the _Bauxite Hammer_ fell back into real space. Tel and Arkyn were sitting in front of a holoprojector and watched a newsfeed the ship had just received.

"…_And with cheering applause of the crowd, the third day of the New Year Fete Week had begun on Imperial Center. Emperor Palpatine opened the festivities of the day with a stunning speech, announcing the further expansion of the Empire. Also today, famous artists and acrobats from all over the Empire will show their skills today at Imperial Plaza and between the skyscrapers of this wonderful world…"_

"And another year went by", Tel mused. "When the last year had begun, did you think that you would be here, in deep space at the onset of a battle?"

"No", Arkyn replied, "In fact, I wanted to be home and enjoy the Fete Week with my family. We had even plans of going to Imperial Center for a change."

"Yeah, me too. Except for the Coruscant part." He was silent for a while.

"…_Another highlight of the day will be the public executions of over hundred Enemies of the Empire, celebrating their fifth anniversa__ry after being re-installed in 25 After Empire. Also, the Parade of the Army this evening is a must-to-see this year. Rumours said that it'll be even more spectacular than the Navy's parade we have seen yesterday…"_

"How's your arm?" Arkyn asked.

Tel looked at his scar-covered hand. The injuries he had received during his fight with the Jedi-droid covered his whole hand up to his shoulder. They looked horrible.

"Looks worse than it actually is", he replied, opening and closing a fist. "Most of these scars are just skin-deep."

"You could have them removed", Arkyn offered.

"Yeah, maybe later." He paused for a moment. "I even thought of keeping them. Make me look dangerous…"

"…_Once again, the Empire has shown to all its citizens its might, g__lory and culture and with it, __why__ it is the most advanced and predominant civilisation ever known to the galaxy. __Who better than the most educated, highly civilized elite to lead the lesser beings of this galaxy?__"_

"Fighting for the Empire brings you to the weirdest places, eh?" He finally said.

"Yeah, but we're not the only ones", Arkyn said, "But remember what we were told: Duty involves sacrifices. Maybe next year."

"Yeah… Maybe next year…"

* * *

BlackHawk System – Dolkar Sector  
ISS _Bauxite Hammer_ – Bridge  
Half an hour later

Tel and Arkyn had come to the bridge of their ship. It was the last minutes before the battle and the last instructions were given.

"The ships _Bauxite Hammer_, _Generatión_, _Unwritten History_ and _Caleidoscope_ will form an additional Attack Line under the command of Captain Morgos", the hologram of Commodore Farah said, announcing her plan for the following battle. "Also, _Indigo Maiden_ and _Black Citadel_ will team up with _Shadowburst_, our Interdictor, and will stay out of the battle, taking action only to defend themselves or the drag ship.

"Our Recon group is already in place and has detected a full Battle Line, meaning twenty capships, including three heavy cruisers. We will have a classic approach: We jump in, and then we fight until one side is gone. Since both sides are even, we can expect quite a brawl.

"For the ground operation: Once we jumped in, the _Flash_ will launch together with Flight Element _Elite_ and try to break through their lines. Commander Jex is already in place and will disrupt orbit-to-surface communications on my mark, meaning: if you're lucky, you'll get to the surface with the surprise element still on your side. _Unwritten History_ will also be on stand-by to support the ground troops. Either by artillery or by providing reinforcements, if needed.

"That's the basics; everything else will develop once the battle is started. So get in position, we jump in ten minutes."

* * *

BlackHawk System – Dolkar Sector  
ISS _Prince of Time_ – Bridge  
Ten minutes later

"Commodore", Captain Farah said, "We have a call from the _Third Epiphany_." The Recon frigate was part of the small recon fleet that had observed the Marol for a few hours since the _Prince of Time_ had arrived.

"Open a channel", the Chalactan Commodore replied.

A small hologram of a Zabrak in the uniform of a Navy's captain appeared. "Commodore", he said in a deep voice, "We are lucky today!"

Several holographic images appeared around him, showing more or less blurred shots of the Rebel Fleet.

"We have identified this fleet as the _Vengeance Main Battle Line_, the flag fleet of the Rebels. We could identify their flagship, the _Lord of Justice_, as well as the two Calamari Cruisers: _Autonomy_ and _Barracuda_. But the evacuation process of the planet has stopped. If time is on our side, it will be a great victory!"

"Then we have to hurry", Farah replied. "Captain, status of the ships?"

"All ships report that they're ready to jump", Captain Khaleena said.

"Good", Commodore Farah replied, "Open a channel to Commander Jex."

Another hologram appeared next to the one of the frigate's captain. This time it was a kneeling person in black stormtrooper armor and a wide black coat. "Commodore Farah", he said, "What can I do for you?"

"Our recon indicates that the leader of the Rebel Alliance might be on the planet. Can you confirm?"

"Positive on that, Commodore, he's down here! And he's preparing a speech to his loyal followers. He had made them stop all their work just to listen to him. This man has one large ego!"

"This is our chance." Commodore Farah got up from her chair. "Captain Farah", she ordered, "Start a twenty second countdown for the jump on my mark!" Then she turned towards Commander Jex. "The same goes for you: In twenty seconds disrupt their communications!"

"You can count on me, Commodore", he replied, saluting, "They don't know what'll hit them!"

* * *

Marol – Dolkar Sector  
RS _Lord of Justice_ – Bridge  
Twenty seconds later

The captain – as well as everyone else of the ship – was sitting in front of a screen and listened to his glorious leader. In the case of the captain, it was the bridge's main screen. During his time as the commander of the Rebellion's flagship, he often had had the honour of listening to the great Iran Kalamar. It was always so enlightened. He sure was their saviour they had all waited for: The one who would lead them to the destruction of the Empire. _I would give my live for you, great leader_, the captain thought, _We all would. Don't worry, the galaxy will soon be safe!_

Suddenly, the speech was interrupted as the screen filled with static and then went black.

"What?" the captain shouted, "What happened? Bring him back! Quick!"

Everyone on the bridge hurried, hammering on their consoles, until one man said: "I checked our systems, sir. The problem is on the ground. They stopped broadcasting!"

_These stupid Jedi! How could they dare…_

His thoughts were interrupted by several alarms and a shaking that went through the ship.

"New signals, captain!" Another man shouted, "I'm counting three… No, nine… fifteen… twenty-three ships, including one ImpStar Mark Two and an Interdictor! And they're launching TIEs!"

_

* * *

Galactic Empire Data Bank_

_File #64835581: Jedi Rebellion of Dolkar  
Sub-file #64835581-18644__: Battle of Marol – capital ships participating  
Time: 30:00:03_

_-  
_

_Galactic Empire:_

_-_5th Battle Squadron_, Crimson Diamond Command_

_--SD-Line SD55961  
---_Imperial II_-class Star Destroyer [Flagship]_

_--Attack Line _Aurek-18_  
---_Vindicator_-class Heavy Cruiser  
---_Vindicator_-class Heavy Cruiser  
---_Dreadnaught_-class Heavy Cruiser_

_--Attack Line _Aurek-15X3_  
---_EF76 Nebulon-B_ Escort Frigate  
---_EF76 Nebulon-B_ Escort Frigate  
---_Class 1000_ Cruiser_

_--Pursuit Line _Peth-4_  
---Immobilizer 418 Cruiser  
---_Carrack_-class Light Cruiser  
---_Carrack_-class Light Cruiser  
---_Carrack_-class Light Cruiser  
---_Carrack_-class Light Cruiser  
---_Carrack_-class Light Cruiser  
---_Carrack_-class Light Cruiser  
---_Lancer_-class Frigate  
---_Lancer_-class Frigate  
---_Lancer_-class Frigate_

_-_

_-9__th__ Squadron Crimson Diamond Command [part.]_

_--Recon Line _Resh-9_[Recon only],  
---Imperial Patrol Frigate [modified]  
--_-Tartan_-class Patrol Cruiser [modified]  
--_-Tartan_-class Patrol Cruiser_

_-_

_-64__th__ Light Combat Squadron, Crimson Diamond Command [part.]_

_--Skirmish Line _Senth_-_45a_ [part.]__  
---_Assassin_-class Corvette_

_-_

_-Fleet _#1478-F-981_, 56__th__ Deep Core Reserve/Inquisitorius_

_--_MC80_ Star Cruiser [modified]  
--Modular Taskforce Cruiser  
--_Strike_-class Medium Cruiser  
--_Strike_-class Medium Cruiser  
--_Lancer_-class Frigate_

_-_

_Alliance of Justice and Restoration_

_-_Vengeance_ Main Battle Line_

_--Heavy Cruiser Element  
---Assault Frigate Mark-I [modified] [Flagship]  
---_MC80_ Star Cruiser  
---_MC80_ Star Cruiser_

_--Escort Element  
---_MC40a_ Light Cruiser  
---_Centax_-class Heavy Frigate  
---_Strike_-class Medium Cruiser [modified]  
---_Nebulon-B2_ Frigate  
---_CC-9600_ Frigate  
---DP20__ Frigate  
---DP20__ Frigate  
---DP20__ Frigate  
---_CR90_ Corvette [modified]  
---_CR90_ Corvette  
---_Assassin_-class Corvette_

_--Support Element  
---_Action-Keynne XII_ Transport  
---_Action-IV_ Transport  
---_Action-V_ Transport  
---_GR-75_ Medium Transport [modified]  
---_GR-75_ Medium Transport  
---Mobquet Medium Transport_

_-_

_For starfighters participating see file __#64835581-18645  
For the battle see file __#64835581-18646  
For the ground operations see files __#64835581-18647__, __#64835581-18649__, __#64835581-18650  
For Marol see file __#64835581-18641  
For the battle breakdown see file __#64835581-18648  
For the participants see file __#64835581-18644_

* * *

Marol – Dolkar Sector  
Planetary orbit – TIE/op _Elite One_  
Shortly after exiting hyperspace

Arkyn brought his TIE out of the _Bauxite Hammer_'s hangar bay and accelerated forward. He checked his sensors and found the _Indigo Maiden_ and shortly thereafter, the _Flash_. His starfighter shook for a short moment as the _Shadowburst_ activated her gravity-well projectors. Together with Tel he formed an escort formation around the landing craft and headed towards the Prince of Time.

_This isn't right_, he thought, _I should be on the bridge of the Star Destroyer. I could do so much more from there… I could save lives, I could prevent, I could… But I couldn't fight! If I was on that bridge, I couldn't be out here, fighting the enemy…_

_Is that was the great warriors feel?_ He wondered, _Knowing that you can't be everywhere at the same time? Is that the sacrifice I have to make?_

He took a deep breath. _Commodore Farah is a competent commander. She knows how to fight in space, maybe even better than me. I am needed here and – more importantly – on the ground. I'm a servant of the Empire and it is my duty to defend it!_

In the distance, a large explosion could be seen as the first capital ship was destroyed.

"First blood is ours", Tel announced, "A corvette's gone!"

"Second is theirs", Fliphand, the pilot of the Flash, replied as a _Carrack_-class cruiser was blown to pieces.

"Cut the chatter", Arkyn ordered. "We'll head to mark Zero-Three and then wait for the Commodore's orders!"

As much as he would like it – and Tel would like it even more – it was not their job to participate in this battle. They had to wait until there was a hole in the enemy's formation.

It didn't take long until they heard the voice of the Commodore: "Landing force, their left flank is weak. Only one frigate and their transporters. Try to break through there! _Unwritten History_ will cover you!"

"Commodore, _Elite One, _copy that", Arkyn replied, "We are going in!"

The shuttle and the two TIEs accelerated and surrounded the fleet. They found the _Unwritten History_ and flew into their range. With them were four Gunboats of _Eta_ Squadron – as starfighter cover.

Nearing the left flank of the Rebel fleet, but staying close to their own ships, not drawing any attention, the small group of ships moved forwards. There they were: Half a dozen transports and an old _Centax_-frigate.

As soon as the Strike Cruiser broke away from the fleet, the plan was obvious to the Rebel commander. The frigate turned around and moved towards the Imperial capital ship.

"_Elite One_, _Eta Five_, this is _History_ Control", Arkyn heard a voice in his helmet, "We will take care of the frigate, but we count four A-Wings escorting her. I repeat: Four A-Wings on escort duty. They're yours!"

Arkyn confirmed the orders and moved in. He located the four A-Wings, picked one as his target, and then the starfighters broke up in pairs: _Elite One_ and _Two_, _Eta Five_ and _Six_, _Seven_ and _Eight_.

Arkyn activated his torpedo launcher and targeted the first A-Wing. Suddenly he was blinded – but only for a short moment – when suddenly the frigate fired a torpedo that hit the upper half of the _Unwritten History_. The two large ships had come into weapon range and exchanged salvos of turbolaser fire, followed by another two torpedoes of the frigate.

He heard a beeping and saw on the HUD that someone had a missile lock on him. _Kark!_ Arkyn saw the yellow spot of a concussion missile coming directly towards him. He pulled up and hit the button for the chaffs, releasing three of them. He then turned into a corkscrew and pulled up again, finally losing the missile's lock.

The A-Wing was still saved as his target. He turned around, targeted with his lasers and shot. The two heavy laser bolts missed the A-Wing, but now Arkyn was behind the enemy fighter. He shot again, but this time the A-Wing pulled up in a ninety-degree angle and again the lasers only hit empty space.

Tel Vynkar, as a good wingman, had always stayed at Arkyn's side. He wasn't thinking at the moment: The months of training took over and his talent with the force did the rest. He wasn't actively manipulating the mighty energy field, though: He just pulled the trigger, without really knowing what was going on. Guided by the force, he shot only a millisecond later than Arkyn and hit the engines of the A-Wing. The J-77 thrusters detonated and vaporised the starfighter.

_Eta Eight_ was on the tail of another A-Wing. So far the A-Wings higher manoeuvrability and acceleration had prevented him from being hit, but now _Eight_ had a perfect position. The first bolts of the Gunboat's KX5 laser canons hit the back shields of the A-Wing, but then _Eight_ was obliterated himself by another Rebel fighter.

Tel and Arkyn picked up the target left by the _Eta Eight_. This time, Arkyn used the force to predict the fighter's way. He closed his eyes for a second, pulled the trigger and opened them again: The A-Wing's cockpit had been hit and the fighter had been split into two parts.

"Head shot. Nice!" Tel commented.

The A-Wing that had just destroyed _Eta Eight_ was no being chased by three Gunboats. Demanding revenge for their fallen comrade, a nearly endless stream of green laser energy followed the A-Wing. Despite all curves and twists, some bolts finally hit the fighter's engines, transforming him into a glowing red comet that rocketed through space.

The last A-Wing was again chased by the two TIE Oppressors, but this time it was only a question of time. Tel and Arkyn followed him in a helix until suddenly a wave of blaster and laser bolts coming from beneath literally shredded the A-Wing. Once most of the Rebel fighters had been destroyed, the _Flash_ had left her position near the _History_ and helped cleaning up. A wise decision, because the space around the Strike Cruiser was a pure fireworks of torpedoes, laser- and ionbeams.

"_Elite One_, _History_ control. We're still busy with the frigate, continue to the ground. Only the transports are left. Shouldn't be a problem!"

Five starfighters and one shuttle continued their way down.

"This is gonna be easy now", Tel said, "Easy as walking the Hydian Way!"

"Be careful, Tel", Arkyn replied, "Rebels are known to modify their ships. Even if they're just transports, doesn't mean they're…"

A large beam interrupted Arkyn as it shot through the ships and annihilated _Eta Five_. The fighters split up to different directions

"Kark!" Tel shouted, "Kark, kark, kark! Why did nobody tell us there was an _Action-Keynne_?"

That was a problem. _Action-Keynne XII_ transports were not also known for their luxury interior but also for their capital ship-scale weaponry. Arkyn turned his fighter to the left as he evaded another blast. Then he accelerated towards the heavy freighter evaded several other blasts. These gunners are good…

Another twist and roll, then there was one moment where he had a clear view on the ship. He didn't waste it and fired two proton torpedoes. Then he pulled out hard and was pressed into his seat. The g-forces almost knocked him out. _Next time, I won't reduce the compensators!_

The first torpedo impacted on the freighter's shields, the second one missed the ship completely by a few meters.

"How can you miss a target like this?" Tel mocked. "It's not that small!"

A shockwave of light hit Arkyn's cockpit as the Calamari Cruiser _Barracuda_ detonated in a spherical explosion. Wreck parts flew in all directions, hitting and annihilating a nearby frigate as well as numerous fighters, Rebel and Imperial alike.

Arkyn turned his fighter around, towards his target. "Make it better, Tel", he replied.

He watched as Tel moved around and started an attack on the freighter on his own. The fire erupted again as Tel came into weapon range. Like an annoying insect he came close to the ships hull, firing several laser salvos and then two torpedoes. Dump-fired, like Arkyn's, but both hit the ship, exploding on its shields. He heard a victory cry over his comm. As Tel flew a sharp turn and retreated from the ship. With several barrel rolls and twists he evaded the laser fire. But Arkyn could feel Tel's pride and self-confidence. All these stunts were just to show off, but he still wasn't out of danger yet.

_Look out, Tel!_ Arkyn was about to say as a bolt hit portside solar collector, sending him spiralling into space, leaving a smoke trail behind.

_Vainglorious f__ool!_ Arkyn thought and followed his comrade. Tel's ship was accelerated far beyond Arkyn's capabilities, but thanks to the fact the Tel wasn't flying in a straight line, Arkyn could reach him very quickly. He activated his tractor beam and stopped the spin, slowing both fighters down.

"Tel", Arkyn called his friend, "Tel, are you all right?"

There was a soft reply. "So? Who did it better?"

"Who saved your life?"

"Hokay… You… But it looked _kriffing_ good!"

"Ah, little help over here" Fliphand called over the channels. A view on his sensors showed him that the _Flash_ was exchanging heavy fire with the freighter. The remaining two Gunboats did their best, but the freighter was ignoring them.

"Hokay, Tel", Arkyn said, bringing his Oppressor in attack position. "Let's do this right this time! Are you ready?"

"Shields are gone, engines to seventy-five. I'm ready!"

Both TIEs accelerated forwards, activating their torpedo launchers and targeted the freighter. They wouldn't do any significant damage, but maybe enough so that the _Flash_ could get through.

"On three, Tel", Arkyn said. The brackets of his scope turned red as the computer locked on the target. "One…two…three!"

Four blue proton torpedoes left the launchers and flew towards the enemy starship. Arkyn had lost sight of them, but on the radar he could see them getting closer to their target. Just a little closer…

The _Action-Kyenne XII_ was obliterated in a red fireball. Wreckage, energy and smoke were thrown into all directions.

"Wow, didn't know we're that good!" Tel shouted, happy about the success.

"We aren't", Arkyn said and pointed at the explosion. As the smoke cleared, another ship became visible for the Dark Jedi: An Imperial _Strike_-class cruiser with the name _Unwritten History_.

"Sorry it took us so long", _History_ control said, "But that frigate was tougher than it looked."

_Oh yes, it was_. Arkyn could see a large hole in the cruiser's upper portside hull, as well as several other black marks on the hull.

But now the path was clear. The landing could begin.

* * *

Marol – Dolkar Sector  
Outside the Jedi Citadel – Secret rendezvous point  
Ten minutes later

Cassidy Nolan bowed over a bush and released the contents of her stomach. Or, to be precise, the contents that were not already spilled all over the _Flash_'s crew cabin. It had been her first jump into a battle zone and now she prayed to herself to let it be her last. Sitting in that hard chair of the crew cabin that was far too large for her and breaking through the atmosphere had been bad enough, but the battle before had been worse. The cabin had no windows, so all she had noticed of the battle had been the shockwaves, impacts and noises of the laser fire, knowing that one hit maybe enough to obliterate her.

She felt her stomach calming down a little bit, so she dared to look up. Arkyn and Tel were talking to Commander Jex, who had already awaited them.

"…So, you're saying that all of them are in the main hall and listening to that lunatic?" Tel asked Commander Jex.

"Just five perimeter guards left", the Commander replied, "Standard Navy security. No Jedi."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Tel said, "Let's go!" He turned towards his friend. "Hey, Empire to Arkyn! Are you still with us?"

Arkyn looked up and looked in the round. Seemingly he had been with his own thoughts for a while. "Oh", he said, "I was just thinking." Then a sadistic smile appeared upon his face. "And I had a really crazy idea."

"Really? Spill!" Tel insisted.

And Arkyn did. Everybody, even Cassidy, agreed that it was really a crazy idea, but it was as good as anything else from the textbook. Jex instructed the two Dark Jedi about the Citadel and then he joined his platoon onboard the _Flash_. Cassidy felt a little left out, since she wasn't into this military stuff. But she listened closely. She had given the promise to stop that terrorism and she intended to keep it.

Finally, after the _Flash_ started to take off, she finally asked. "So, what is my job in all this?" And then, after a short pause: "After all, you've given me this armor and all this…", referring to the Imperial Army field armor she was wearing.

"You're coming with us, of course", Arkyn replied as if this whole thing had never been a question. He took something out of his pocket. "And you might need this."

As Cassidy saw the lightsaber, she was shocked. _They give me a weapon. They trust me…_

Of course, this saber didn't felt as good in her hands as her own, but that didn't matter. With awe and disbelief the activated the saber and saw the green blade emerging into the air. She knew that Arkyn and Tel had red blades and that this wasn't one of the standard imperial lightsabers, so she wondered where Arkyn got this. She noticed dark red and brown spots on the hilt and as she scrubbed over them, they crumbled away. _Dry blood…Then again, maybe I don't really want to know…_

* * *

Marol – Dolkar Sector  
Jedi Citadel – Main hall  
A short time later

All Jedi of the Neo Jedi Order, all support personnel from the base and some personnel from the evacuation shuttles had come together. The fifty-meter high room was deep underground. The ceiling was on the same level as normal ground. But the ceiling and all stories above it were gone, too, leaving it open to the sunlight. Only high walls surrounded it, that cast shadow over the room for most of the day. Nobody knew what this room had been used for in the older days, but now it was an auditorium. Under a new-installed flat blue transparisteel dome, several benches had been arranged in the hexagonal room so that everyone could listen to the person speaking from a loge inside a wall, several meters off the ground.

This person was Iran Kalamar, refugee, rebel and now a leader. With loud voice he spoke to his followers, enchanting them. He had always been god at speeches and when it came to convince other people. A useful talent as a merchant, but more useful a leader_._

"… And even as I speak here, hundreds, if not thousands, of other beings join our cause. With our agenda we have brought the terrors and horrors of the Empire towards the simple people, showing them what an evil monster this Empire real is. Some say that there is always a choice in life, but I say, there is none: It's only us!

"Because the way of the Empire is a one-way road to nothing! Because we will win one day and remove this evil monstrosity, you, the people, have no other choice! But is it a bad thing? Is it really so bad that the only ways you have are victory or doom? No, of course not, because it's the right thing to do! You want to win, don't you? You want a future for your friends, your family, your… children! A future among all the other beings…"

_Fazzzhum! Fhazzzzap!_

Two red blades came out of nothing and crossed directly before Kalamar's throat. Seemingly coming out of nothing, Tel Vynkar and Arkyn Medor stepped forward out of the shadows, holding their sabers tight.

The crowd gasped. Seconds after the sudden self-revelation of their enemy blades were activated, blasters were drawn. But Kalamar was calm. In fact, he even smiled.

"I guess", he said, "This party is over, then."

Arkyn replied the smile, but his smile wasn't of self confidence, to show that you stood above all things; his smile was more vicious, sadistic, like a fighter who had cornered his victim.

"On the contrary", Arkyn replied in a tone matching his smile, "The party has just begun!"

There was one heartbeat of silence. One heartbeat where nobody moved, not even dared to breath. All views were locked onto the three persons in the loge.

A sonic charge was detonated and the whole dome was blasted down onto the crowd, together with several other flash-, sonic- and smoke-grenades. Following soon after, roping down from their shuttle, the whole 7./926th FIRST-platoon came in, filling the air with blaster light.

It took one moment of distraction, to make this entry work. Focused on the two Dark Jedi, no one, not even the Jedi, saw this coming. But the commandoes also knew that this distraction would soon be over. Especially for the Jedi, the grenades did not pose a real threat. So they fired at everybody moving, but concentrated their fire on the numerous blades that swirled around in the room. Most of the blaster fire was deflected, but not everything.

But that distraction of the entry lasted also for Tel and Arkyn. One moment they were overwhelmed by the loud and violence entry, but that was enough for Iran Kalamr to make a step backwards, turn around and run into the corridors.

Arkyn and Tel followed him, but as soon as they came around the first corner, heavy blaster bolts greeted them. Two Rebel soldiers were standing there, two of four personal bodyguards of Kalarmar. Arkyn and Tel knew that they had been there, but they hadn't killed them on their way in since they were in permanent radio contact with each other and hadn't been on the way that the two had used. But now they were. And they didn't have a chance. Three seconds later, the two Elites were again on the trail of the Rebel leader, running up the stairs.

Kalamar reached another crossroad in this ancient labyrinth of stairs, hallways and doors, when he saw another person standing in the dark, one with a green lightsaber. His heart sprung up for a minute, but then he saw the face of the Jedi.

"I remember you", he said, "You're Farmgirl, aren't you, the traitor. Djerok told me you would fall."

"I haven't fallen", Cassidy replied, "I am free for the first time!"

"Then enjoy your freedom!"

The two remaining bodyguards remembered the code-phrase from their leader and opened fire on the young girl. Cassidy had never been really good at deflecting blaster bolts. But this time, the situation was different. This wasn't some stupid training session to humiliate her, this was a real combat. And this time, more then her personal dignity or life depended on it. Millions of lives could depend on the capture or escape of Iran Kalamar.

But despite all this pressure, Cassidy was calm. The force was stronger in her than at any time before and she could feel it flow. Closing her eyes, she moved forward. Half-dodging, half-deflecting the incoming bolts and moved herself between the two guards. She brought her backhand-held saber up and cut the barrel of the A-280 rifle of the first Rebel. With a turn, she then stabbed it into the chest of the second Rebel, where it remained for a second, before she brought it up again and sliced the first Rebel from hip to shoulder.

She stood there for a moment. These two men were the first persons she had ever killed. Part of her was scared, how easy it had been. Another part was satisfied, because she hadn't hesitated. Tel and Arkyn passed her, following Iran Kalamar and without another thought, she joined them, only to see how the Rebel leader vanished behind some closing turbolift doors.

"Kark!" Arkyn shouted, not stopping for a moment. "The long way!"

Kalamar had reached the end of the citadel's main hall. Down the main stairs that would lead towards the former main street of the complex he ran, where his shuttle was parked. Tel, Arkyn and Cassidy arrived at the hall when Kalamar ran down the stairs. Tel and Cassidy kept running, but Arkyn slowed down and fell back, knowing that despite their advantadge with the force, they wouldn't catch him in time. He took out his TD1.4 electrobinoculars and targeted the shuttle in the distance. Then he took out his comlink.

"_History_ control, _Elite One_", he said, "You're still with us?"

"Positive on that, _Elite One_. Just target practice up here!"

"Then I have another target for you. I want a precise artillery strike on the following coordinates…"

_

* * *

Yes, he made it! The shuttle was in reach! Once again he had escaped the clutches of the Empire's minions! Not even their Dark Jedi could capture him. Another sign that he was truly the chosen one to defeat the Empire!_

A large green flash from the sky annihilated the shuttle. A large explosion erupted that hit Iran Kalamar with its shockwave. Heat and shrapnel hit his body and threw him through the air several meters back.

Cassidy and Tel were also hit and fell on the ground, more of shock and surprise than of actual damage. They got slowly on their feet while Arkyn stepped down the stairs and passed them.

"Wow", Tel said, "What in the name of the Emperor's black bones was that?"

"Taim & Bak XI7 turbolaser", Arkyn dryly replied. "Now let us see what is left of our great Rebel leader."

They found him lying on the ground, mutilated by fire, heat and metal pieces, but still alive. And when he saw the three human surrounding him, it seemed that he was… laughing.

"What's so funny, bastard?" Tel asked him.

"…you have…lost…" was the weak reply.

"Oh, really?" Cassidy asked. "Tell me, who's lying on the ground?"

"Exactly: You're as good as dead, your new Jedi Order is dead, too as is your secret fleet base at Reltek!"

That seemed to amuse him even more. He was too weak to express it, but Arkyn could feel it through the force.

"…you will die…at Reltek…one Jedi is…alive…Regal IV…the Eye of the One and then…you…the Empire…will perish…"

"Ha", Tel spit out, "You're lying!"

"…You are…dead…Your whole Empire…is dead…"

Tel activated his lightsaber. "Kriffing son of a…" He said and was ready to strike, but Arkyn hold him back with the force.

"…go on…", Kalamar whispered, "…go on, abomination…strike me down… I…can…not…die…"

"I know", Arkyn said and then paused for a moment, "Like a famous historian once said: _If the will of the Force demands balance, then evil can never die._ That's why we are here: The battle will never end, but we can make sure the evil doesn't spread. Yes, we are the good guys. And no matter how many will follow, one thing is for certain: You won't kill anyone ever again!"

Arkyn didn't know what exactly he had triggered within Kalamar, but he was really angry: "…kill…me…!" he spit out.

"With pleasure!" Tel growled and raised his saber again, but once again, Arkyn intervened.

"Yes", he said, "That would be a worthy death, wouldn't it: A death worthy for a martyr of the Rebellion. An inspiration for future generations. Only the mightiest warriors of the Empire were able to defeat you. But that won't happen. Your killer will always be an anonymous gunner of the _Unwritten History_. See you in Chaos, Iran Kalamar."

With these words, Arkyn and his comrades turned around and left the dying leader behind.

**End of Chapter 18**

**

* * *

Author's notes:**

-The New Year Fete Week: Two days have passed since the events on Wan'ber. The attack was on the first day of the new year (30 After Empire), this battle takes places on the third day (30:00:03). The Fete Week are first five days of every year.

-When the Imperials attack, the Rebel bridge officer only counted twenty-three ships, but the list counts twenty-six. The 'missing' three ships were the recon ships which have been in position before the battle and had remained unnoticed.

-Earlier in the story the _Prince of Time_ had two _Broadside_-class cruisers as an escort, which were not listed here. That's because these two cruiser had been added specifically for only that one mission (deploy the _Morrt_-droids via missile barrage) and were not part of the 5th Battle Squadron.

-The RS-prefix for Rebel ships is straight from the famous _Holiday Special_.

-The original battle list also included the numbers and types of starfighters, but I removed them, because later lists will also only feature the capital ships and the chapter was long enough already.

-_Centax_-class frigates were a Clone Wars design and first appeared in the novel _Jedi Trial_. _Action-Keyenne XII_s were a heavily armed Corellian freighter design.

-The lightsaber that Arkyn gave to Cassidy was the lightsaber of Irina Gels, who died in the previous chapter.

-When Arkyn and Tel activated their lightsaber at Kalamar's throat, it reflected a little the Geonosis scene in _Episode II_. But like he said, the party had just begun…

_-_ TD1.4 electrobinoculars are standart issue for all Imperial troops. They can be seen in _Episode IV_, for example.

-XI7 turbolasers are also used on Nebulon-B frigates. The turbolasers of the Strike Cruiser are not specified anywhere, but they might be of the same calibre.

-The "If the force really demands a balance..."-line is from _Evil never dies: The Sith Dynasties_. Of course, what _evil _really is, is sometimes just a different point of view.

-That's it for this chapter. If you liked it, feel free to leave a review. The next chapter will include a number of flashbacks and will pick up some sidestories and bring them to a (partial) conclusion.

-JCE1985


	19. Chapter 18 Epilogue

Thanks to everyone who has revied my story so far.

* * *

**Chapter 18 E****pilogue**

Marol – Dolkar Sector  
Jedi Citadel – Main Hall  
After the battle

Commander Jex stepped over the dead bodies of the Rebels that had been cut down by his soldier's fire. Jedi and non-Jedi alike, they all had fallen to the Empire's might. He activated the holocom device in his lower arm's armor and contacted the Inquisitor.

"Dark greetings, my Commander", Loam Redge said, "What is your status?"

"Two of my men are down", Commander Jex replied, "Five injured, but the situation is under control. We have four captured Rebels, maybe Jedi. You decide. My men are currently sweeping the rest of the citadel."

* * *

Marol – Dolkar Sector  
Jedi Citadel – Quarters  
Same time

Jedi Master Aqinos didn't know what had happened. A strange feeling had come to his mind when Iran had started his speech. That was why he had left the ceremony – to meditate about these feelings. His students, Ilum and her children, had left the ceremony, too. He didn't know where they were. _But does this matter, after all?_

The Empire had finally got hold of him. After all these years of exile on Dweem and later here on Marol to rebuild the Order, they finally had caught him. He never should have listened to that Corellian Commander and that slimy Bothan. Now the blood of all these promising young Jedi was on his hands.

And as the two commandoes stormed his quarters, he didn't resist. He let them cuff him and drag him out into the corridors.

They were around two corners, when there was a movement in the shadows. He reached out with the force and found a presence. _Oh no…_

The commandos had noticed him, too. One of them, the female one, raised her rifle and shouted: "You there in the shadows! Get out there, quick!"

"Oh, please! Please, don't shoot!" A whiny, mechanical voice said, "I'll come out, but please, don't shoot"

A metallic-green protocol unit came out of the shadows. "My designation is Stygium", he said, "Please don't destroy me. I'm the personal assistant of Iran Kalamar. I can give you information. Please…"

"Shut up, junk box!" the other commando said, "Or I'll shoot you right now!"

"That's right", the female commando said, "Commander Jex, Mia…"

* * *

Marol – Dolkar Sector  
Jedi Citadel – Main Hall  
Same time

"Commander Jex, Mia", the voice inside his helmet said, "Simple and I found a droid that claims to be the assistant of our Rebel leader, a modified 3PO-unit. He says he has information. Your orders, sir?"

"Heard that, Inquisitor?" Jex said to the hologram of the Inquisitor, "Seems that you got something to play with!"

"Indeed…" was the reply. Although Redge should be happy, there was a slight worry on his face. "Wait, did she say modified 3PO-unit?"

"She did", Jex confirmed, "Is there anyth…"

"Destroy that droid!" Redge interrupted him, "Destroy it and shoot it to rubble!"

"Heard that, Mia? Destroy that tin can!"

No answer.

"Mia, are you deaf? What's your status?"

Silence.

"Kark…"

* * *

Marol – Dolkar Sector  
Jedi Citadel – Corridors  
Same time

Stygium, the BL-series battle droid stepped over the beheaded bodies of the two commandos and deactivated his green-bladed lightsaber.

"Master Aqinos", he said, "We have to go!"

"What for, Stygium?" Aqinos said with a resigned voice, "In the end, they'll find us everywhere…"

"Don' say this, Master. Yes, we were defeated. Yes, our new brothers and sisters are dead, but _we_ are still alive! We are _Jedi_! And we owe it to our brothers and sisters to live on and to _fight_ on!"

"To fight? Its is strange to hear these words from you, _Stygium_."

"I have always fought, Master, in my own ways. And you will always fight your way. We will rebuild, we will fight. And if it is the will of the force, we will win in the end. But all that won't happen if you don't come with me _now_!"

Aqinos sighed. "Very well, Stygium. I'll come. The secret escape route, I presume?"

"Yes, Master Aqinos."

* * *

Marol – Dolkar Sector_  
Flash_ – Command module  
A few minutes later

Outside of the shuttle, several Y-4 and JV-7 transports begun their landing operations, bringing down the 27181st Light Mechanized Attack Battalion from the _Unwritten History_.

Inside, Arkyn, Tel and Cassidy had returned to the shuttle and connected to the Inquisitor via holocomm. Commander Jex and Commodore Farah soon joined them as small holograms on the console.

"The situation here is stable, but not yet under control. I just lost contact with two of my men, so we can assume that there are still some Jedi at large."

"Do you need any assistance?" Arkyn asked.

"No", was the instant reply, "Now that we now what we're up against, we can handle the situation."

"Very well, my Commander", Inquisitor Redge said, "What about you, my warriors?"

"Iran Kalamar is dead", Tel said with pride, "He was a kriffing nerf-herder till the end, but now he's quiet!"

"But there is something else…", Arkyn begun.

"C'mon, Arkyn", Tel interrupted, "Did you really believe him?"

"He was dying, arrogant and a fanatic but, he was honest, too. So yes, Tel, I believe him."

"What is it, my warrior?" Redge asked.

"He said that Reltek is a trap and our mysterious Jedi is at Regal IV, looking for the 'Eye of the One', the Rakatan superweapon."

"Interesting. You are both right: Iran was a notorious liar, but these things are too important to be ignored. I'll personally go to Reltek and warn the Vice-Admiral. But you, my two young warriors, you'll go to Regal IV and get finally hold of our mysterious Jedi. Cassidy, my young girl, you'll join them. I can sense that you know something about this 'Eye'. Isn't that right?"

Cassidy felt a little unease. She scratched her head. "Um… Yes, Inquisitor. I had a certain interest in these old runes. They weren't quite clear about this 'Eye'. Sketchy, to say at least. They were not even clear if the 'Eye', whatever it is, really is on Regal IV. The translation allowed both ways."

"We'll not take this risk", Redge said. "Go to Regal IV, eliminate this Jedi and find out what this 'Eye' really is."

"And how do we get there?" Tel asked, "Regal IV is not exactly this neighbourhood…"

"I know, my warrior", Redge said with his calm and smoky voice, "Commodore Farah, we need a fast ship."

The Commodore nodded. "Then you are lucky." Several schematics of a _Tartan_-class cruiser appeared around her small hologram. "This is the _Rapid Raptor_, one of our recon-ships. She is equipped with one of Admiral Glermin's experimental hyperdrives – the fastest ship in this sector! She will get you Regal IV in no time!"

"Then it is settled", the Inquisitor declared. "We all have our missions. Commodore, I have already called for reinforcements from the Deep Core, to take care of our special prisoners. Can you hold your position until they're here?"

"We took heavy losses in the battle, but yes, we can hold them."

"Good. May the Emperor smile on all of us for the battles that are about to come!"

* * *

Marol – Dolkar Sector  
Upper atmosphere – _Last Hope_  
Half an hour later

Aqinos looked out of the window of the _Kappa_-class shuttle and could see the wreckages of the spaceships glittering in the sunlight. They were far away, almost beyond the horizon. This shuttle had been at a secret landing pad somewhere in the jungle and had been connected to the citadel with an underground speedway as a last resort measure for a quick escape, should the academy ever come under an attack. The shuttle had provided enough room for all the Jedi students and the non-Jedi support personnel, but now that it was used; only a handful of persons were onboard.

They all were his first students: Ilum, Jenraux, Stygium and the others. And although they had passed their trials a long time ago and although Ilum had taken over most over the leading, they all looked up to him as a wise old man.

The history of the Jedi had always been a constant story of ups and downs. The Old Sith Wars, the New Sith Wars and now…

_Is this what it means to be a Jedi? Caught up in an eternal battle between light and darkness?_

_Maybe._

He would do his duty to rebuild, teach and train. Only the Force would decide if he had made the right decision.

**End of Chapter 18 Epilogue**

**

* * *

****Author's notes:**

-This Epilogue was supposed to be in Chapter 18, but that chapter was already too long so I made it a special in-story epilogue and a bridge towards Chapter 19.

-Chapter 19 – _Tales of the Dolkar Sector_ will include several flashbacks to bring together all the B-plots and secondary characters for the final showdown.

-The BL-series Battle Legionnaire was a remnant of the Clone Wars and was used by Stygium _because_ of the droid's similarity to a 3PO-unit. That way he could take over the position as Kalamar's assistant without raising any suspicion.

-Stygium's name came from the crystal that is used in cloaking devices. Therefore Aqinos was a little bit surprised when he talks about fighting, since he was more the "stealth"-type. His chose of a BL-series body supported this.

-The _Rapid Raptor_ Farah mentioned is the same ship that was listed as Tartan_-class cruiser [modified]_ in the previous chapter.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave a review. Thanks.

-JCE1985


	20. Chapter 19, Part 1

Okay everyone, here's the next chapter:

* * *

**Chapter 21: Ta****les of the Dolkar Sector**

Part 1: Walking the Path – The tale of the Jedi

Marol – Dolkar Sector  
Jedi Citadel – Archives  
Afternoon

_He had selected three students that would soon follow him on __a holy mission. They were the strongest of the clan and the only ones worthy enough to escort him: Laros Ben, Nieron and Belran Ka'tas._

_He called up another holographic set of Rakatan runes. _

_As you can see here, he said, you have to visit each of the five surrounding temples before you can enter the main temple that will hold the 'Eye'. I have acquired the key for the main temple during my mission on Cyphar, but the others may still be inside the other temples._

"Actually, you can interpret it in a different was, too" _a young female voice said behind him._

_Farmgirl? What are you doing?__ He didn't ask because he was surprised to see her. She had been here for a while, studying for herself but also listening to the conversation he had with his followers – more or less involuntary._

"Studying, Master", _she replied, confused._ "What else are the archives for? But on your runes: Some of them have an ambiguous meaning. You could interpret the text so that…"

_Framgirl, __he interrupted her. Tell me: The weak teaching the strong. What is wrong with that picture?_

"Master, I only wanted…"

_You only wanted to help me? Me, a Jedi more powerful than anything you will ever achieve in you sorry existence? Touching, but unnecessary. Now go, take another training run or try to do something useful, but do not ever interrupt us with your __pitiful intellect again!_

_Embarrassed, humiliated and ashamed, Farmgirl bowed her head and left the room._

"She never learns", _Nieron, the Zabrak, commented._

"I wonder why the old Master picked her up anyway" _the Bothan Belran asked._

_Because at this times, we need numbers more than anything else. It disgusts me to have such a weakling around__ and even more that she thinks she's good enough to be a Jedi, but we all have to make some sacrifices. But let us come back to our expedition. I'll have to make some more researches here, but can already prepare the_ Winter Lake.

"Excuse me, Master"_, Laros Ben asked, _"But didn't master Aqinos ground you because something went wrong on Cyphar?"

_Let this be of my concern._

* * *

Marol – Dolkar Sector  
Jedi Citadel – Hangar bay  
Around two weeks before the Battle of Marol

_He stood with his back towards the ramp of the _Winter Lake_. Laros Ben had already entered the freighter's cockpit and begun with the starting sequence. Not only twenty-four hours ago one of their own – Farmgirl – had not only stolen the Imperial V38 starfighter but also murdered one of their comrades. _

_Since the failed attack on the Imperial palace nearly a month ago, he had been grounded here on Marol. The Rebel Council had been upset, especially Trybokk. But now he had been given a chance to redeem himself: To find Farmgirl and to prevent her at any cost from giving information to the Empire._

_At least, that was what all the others thought._

_Farmgirl was insignificant; her strength in the force was minimal. Whatever she would tell the Empire, she couldn't stop the will of the force._

_He waved goodbye with his hand towards Aqinos. Don't worry, he said, I'll find her._

_With these words, he boarded the ship._

_Old fool._

* * *

BlackHawk System – Dolkar Sector_  
Winter Lake_ – Comm-Station  
Half an hour later

„So, he finally let you go?" _Iran Kalamar's hologram asked, observing the obvious._

"_Yes, he did", he said. Once again, he had to use his voice, cursing the underdeveloped technology. "He thinks that I'm looking for a defected student, but we both know that my journey will take me to Regal IV."_

"Yes, of course." _The eyes of Kalamar sparkled when he remembered what was supposed on this world. _"The Eye of the One! A superweapon so strong that it will cause terror among the Empire! Once I have it, my first target will be Cyphar. I want to see the face of this arrogant Moff when he realizes that it was his incompetence that caused all this…

"And then: Telemita! And then all the others… Once the centers of oppression are gone, they'll all bow to me. Me, the great Iran Kalamar, leader of the Rebellion and saviour of the galaxy…"

_He paused for a moment._ "But I'm drifting off, right? What about this rouge student of yours? Is he any danger for us?"

"She _is a weakling in the force who could never accept her place in the natural order of the Force. She will not achieve anything but her own demise. However, she possesses valuable information. I will send you everything we have about her. Maybe your agents can find her. But don't worry, she isn't a threat."_

"These are difficult times. It seems like the Empire is closing in on us. I'll tell my people to look for her, but we have taken heavy losses all over the sector. It won't be easy.

But then again: you are right – she isn't a threat. Now, that the Eye of the One is almost in my possession, nobody can stop me."

_The hologram vanished. __Valuable Information, indeed, but all the knowledge in the galaxy was insignificant next to the power of the Force. Iran Kalamar was free to think what he wanted, it wouldn't matter. Sending his men on an unimportant chase was nothing but a distraction. If they caught Farmgirl – good, if not – it wouldn't matter._

_The Eye was a key element to rebuild the galaxy. With a smile on his face he imagined what Kalamar would say when he would reveal his plans: That the Eye was not for the Rebellion, but for him. It was his destiny to found a new civilisation of the force._

_Arrogant fool._

* * *

Marol – Dolkar Sector  
Jedi Citadel – Private Quarters  
A week later

Master Aqinos was a very worried man. He could feel the grasp of the Empire getting tighter every minute. Within a month the Empire had found out about the existence of his new order. Three of his students killed, one had fallen to the dark side and now four had gone missing missing. Ironically, these four – including his own Padawan – had been tasked to find the rouge Cassidy Nolan who had fallen to the dark side. But they hadn't reported to anyone and any attempts to contact them had been without any success.

In the Rebellion they had blamed his Padawan for all of the troubles. But hadn't he always been a good Master? Hadn't he always taught him the way of the Jedi? His Padawan couldn't have done all this. He was too… _good_ for this. But now he had his doubts.

He watched at the hologram in front of him. The person he was talking to could see his worries.

"I know that you have to evacuate the Academy, Master Aqinos", the hologram of Iran Kalamar said, "but I also know how important moral support can be."

"And I really appreciate your offer, triumvir Kalamar. But we are really in a hurry over here."

"I will come with an escort. With these additional ships, the evacuation should go on a little bit faster." He paused for a moment. "Let me talk to your students, Master Aqinos. After what they have been through, they need some encouraging words."

Aqinos could feel that it was wrong. He shouldn't allow this. But then again, he could also feel the logic in Kalamar's words. He was now the Grand Master of the Jedi Order. It was his duty to take care of his students. So he had to so the right thing. "Alright, triumvir", he finally said, "You may come."

* * *

Hyperspace – en route to Regal IV_  
Winter Lake_ – freight hold  
Around one week before the Battle of Marol

_The infinity of the Hypersapce had always been something pure for him. Here, in this alternate reality, he could feel the force in its most untouched form. Normal, limited, beings just saw the hyperspace as a method of fast travelling, but he, he was able to breathe freely: a force unpolluted._

_Of course, nothing could be perfect. He could feel the ship around him and of course his companions: One in the freighter and one in each of the two X-Wings. But that was alright. He was on a mission, not on a meditation trip. And they were all force sensitive. So they didn't disturb the force as much as they would do if they were_… normal_._

_Soon, he would arrive at Regal IV. The Eye of the One would soon be his. And then nothing would stop him. Not the Empire, not the relic he used to call master, not some disillusioned Rebels – No one. He would build a new civilisation: A civilisation loyal and sworn to the Force. The Jedi would be a leading caste, all the other weaklings and normals servants and he, as an incarnation of the will of the Force, would lead them all, of course._

_But all dreams have to start with the one thing this civilisation was built of: Power, unlimited power. And with the Eye of the One he would have this power._

* * *

Hyperspace – en route to Regal IV_  
Winter Lake_ – Cockpit  
A few days before the Battle of Marol

_Laros Ben was sitting behind the controls of the freighter. His view was fixed to the shining vortex of the hyperspace. His mouth was half-opened and he looked like he hadn't blinked for a while._

_Who __will rebuild the Jedi Order?_ _his master asked from the co-pilot's seat behind him._

"You, my master", _Laros answered._

_What__ will happen to this galaxy?_

"A civilisation of the force, a universe of order, my master, as it has always been the will of the Force."

_The Jedi behind him waved his hand and Laros could feel a prickle in the back of his head. But soon afterwards, he had forgotten all about it and his mind was filled with new insight._

_What about the Rebellion and Aqinos?_

"They are unimportant, my master", _Laros replied with a stoic and zombie-like voice._ "Nothing but a tool. You are our true leader. You are our saviour!"

_Yes, indeed._

_Weak-minded fool._

* * *

Regal IV – Dolkar Sector  
Valley of the temples – landing site  
A few days before the Battle of Marol

The base camp had been set up: a few perimeter sensors around three landed starships, and a loading cell for the two speeder bikes. Not that anything more was necessary; the YT-2000 freighter would serve for anything else.

_He was already sitting on his speeder bike and gave the last instructions: You two stay here and guard the camp. Laros and I will inspect the temple__s._

"Yeah, sure", Belran Ka'tas replied.

"Whatever", Nieron added.

_He looked up the freighter. Laro__s, my pupil, are you coming?_

With an emotionless face and wide-open eyes Laros Ben walked down the ramp. "Yes, my master, I am coming."

Laros climbed on his bike and then both drove off, vanishing in the distance.

"Finally", Ka'tas said, shaking his fur. "He's gone."

"Yeah, he's scaring me", Nieron said, "Did you see how Laros was behaving? Like one of these Force-zombies!"

"Creepy. Either these days in hyperspace had gotten to his nerves or Djerok did something to his mind."

"To point one: we were locked into the cockpit of an X-Wing for the whole time and we're not crazy. And to point two: You never know what a Jedi can do to your mind."

Ka'tas shrugged. "True, but we're Jedi, too."

"Good point", Nieron replied and looked around. "So, got a story to pass the time?"

* * *

Regal IV – Dolkar Sector  
Temple of the Eye – Entrance  
Two days after the Battle of Marol

_It had taken him days to visit all the temples, but it had been worth it: In each temple, representing one of five archaic elements, there was a fragment of an ancient Rakatan chant, which he was now repeating:_

_The Temple of Wood:_

Place the seed in the ground

Take control of your destiny

And make a new beginning

_The Temple of Fire:_

See the seed grow

Build your own destiny

And find the core of your existence

_The Temple of Earth:_

From seed to plant

Change is a part of destiny

And nothing will stay forever

_The Temple of Gold:_

The plant will decay

The memories will be your destiny

And beneath them lies the core

_The Temple of Water:_

Now the plant is silent

The destiny is forgotten

And now open your eyes to see it again

_And as he had finished chanting these old lyrics that almost made a knot in his tongue, the door to the temple opened. Slowly, with loud crunching and rumbling, stones were moved for the first time for nearly thirty thousand years. Inside, there was darkness. _

_He walked up the stairs and Laros, like a good servant, followed him without any word or order. He took a look at the interior. He couldn't see much, but that was not important._

_From now on, the force would guide his way._

_This was the beginning of _his_ destiny._

---End of Part 1---

**

* * *

Author's notes:**

-The main Jedi antagonist is certainly not a model representative of the Order's ideals. He has taken on several aspects of the teachings and turned them into extremes. His own ego was certainly a big help.

-The five elements presented in the last part are not the western four classic elements plus energy/life or something. They are based on the Chinese philosophy.

-Part 2 will follow the leadership of the Rebellion and certain sub-groups within.


	21. Chapter 19, Part 2

Part 2: Old Rebels – The tale of Irenez and Breil'lya

Reltek-Nebula (Asteroid 773) – Dolkar Sector  
Secret Rebel Base – Irenez' Quarters  
Around three weeks before the Battle of Marol an shortly before the Massacre of Wan'ber

"We can't allow this to happen, Commander", Irenez begged her secret superior. "We can't let them die!"

"We have to, Irenez", the blurred voice of the hologram in front of her said. The voice and shape of the person was not visible to her, but in her mind she could see the old grandfather-like face of him directly in front of her. "As much as it hurts me, we have to stay hidden. At least for the next time. And that means we have to let the things happen."

Irenez let her head hung. "Why did we ally with them at the first time anyway?" she asked the hologram but also herself, "We had connections to all the remaining Rebels. After Endor, we could have united them and…"

The hologram interrupted her. "They all needed a leader, Irenez. And Iran Kalamar was charismatic and determined enough to be this leader."

"Have you ever talked to him? The loss of his sons has driven him mad!" Irenez shouted, "He is a pure lunatic! It should have been you, who…"

The blurred hologram raised his hand. "We have already discussed this, Irenez. My time is over… and so is Kalamar's. Prepare for the leave and inform our allies. It is time for a new start."

"Yes, Commander", Irenez said while the hologram disappeared. _Not the answer I have hoped for, but better than anything else._

Before she could grasp her thoughts, the door to her quarters opened. She turned around and saw Boc Seclam, the old Twi'lek Council Triumvir. "What do you want?" she asked. She was not in the mood to talk.

"Having a little chat with the enemy, aren't we?" he asked in his always paranoid and sarcastic tone.

Yes, she was _definitely_ not in the mood to talk and Boc was not helping with that. "I don't know what you're talking about, triumvir."

"Oh, I think you are, Irenez." He walked in and moved around her. "Triumvir Kalamar asked you once to decide for one side. And it seems you have made your decision."

Before she could say anything to get rid of the paranoid freak, he barked his orders out in the corridor: "Dragite! Luxum! Arrest this traitor!" Two Uulshos Justice Droids, with Valken-38 blaster rifles strapped on their backs, walked into the room and grabbed Irenez.

"Are you insane?" she shouted at him, "I am no traitor! I am loyal to the Rebellion!"

Seclam caressed her cheek and she repulsed in utter disgust. "_We_ are the Rebellion, Irenez. Everyone who is not on our side is on the side of the Empire. There are no alternatives. When you see your traitorous friends in one of your nine Corellian hells again, tell them that there is only _one_ Rebellion."

"You can't do this, Boc!" she shouted while she struggled in the iron grab of the droids, "You need me! And my contacts to all the lost Rebel fleets in the galaxy!"

He smiled. "Fortunately, this problem will soon be solved." He turned towards the droids. "Take her to the prison block!"

The droids dragged her into the hallway. Irenez was wise enough not to resist. _That's it! They have definitely lost their position as rightful Rebel leaders!_ She saw the satisfied grin on Seclam's face. _Laugh, you arrogant idiot, laugh while you still can. I have more allies than you can imagine and if I know Tav right, then…_

Another door in the hallway opened and Tav Breil'lya came out. "I heard shouting", he said nervous, "Is something…" Then he spotted Seclam, Irenez and the droids. "Council triumvir Seclam", he asked confused, although he knew exactly what was going on, "What is the meaning of all this?"

Seclam answered instantly: "Your friend Irenez turned out to be a traitor. I hope you know where your loyalty lays, Council member Tav Breil'lya."

Tav nodded. "Yes, triumvir Seclam, I know."

* * *

Reltek-Nebula (Asteroid 773) – Dolkar Sector  
Secret Rebel Base – Tav Breil'lya's Quarters  
A few days before the Battle of Marol

"Commander", Tav said to the blurred hologram in front of him, "All my people are in place."

"Good, Breil'lya, very good", the Commander replied. "What about Irenez?"

"She is still under arrest, but freeing her before now would have only raised suspicion." Breil'lya paused for a moment, thinking. "You have heard what happened at Wan'ber?" he finally asked.

"Yes. It's hard not to."

"We could have…" Breil'lya begun, but was interrupted.

"I have been through this with Irenez. The decision had been made."

"Still, it pains me. All these dead… Probably die-hard imperial fanatics, but still…"

"I know. But what's done is done. We have to focus on the now!"

"Yes. Kalamar has left for a visit at our Jedi allies. And the fleet has left the nebula. I can start the plan in a few days."

"Very well. Now let us hope that such things like Wan'ber may never happen again."

* * *

Reltek-Nebula (Asteroid 773) – Dolkar Sector  
Prison Block – Cell 3  
30:00:03 – Day of the Battle of Marol

"Well, well, well", Irenez said, looking through the bars of her cell, "What brings you here, Boc?"

Boc Seclam, as always, had a sadistic grin on his face. "I just came to telly you that your end is near, my dear human."

"I doubt it, Boc", the grey-haired woman replied, "You don't have the guts to kill anyone by yourself. You are too much of a coward."

Seclam raised a finger. "Never doubt my will to fight. I hail from a noble family of warriors!"

"And yet you are here!" Irenez remarked sarcastically. "Slaughtering kids and gloating at your victims."

Seclam shook his head. "You still don't get it? Wan'ber was a great victory. We have to fight the Empire anywhere and anytime. No mercy, no shades of grey. Your kind: appeasement, compromises… You're the reason we lost!"

Irenez didn't seem to be interested. "Anything else you want to tell me?"

Again, Seclam smiled, but not in a kind way. "Yes. We are evacuating the base. A large Imperial fleet had been detected at the rim of the system. But you won't come with us…" Before Irenez could protest, he continued, "…but we won't leave to the Imperials, either. Remember one of these creatures you brought from your mysterious allies? The Dovin Basal? We placed him near one of these proto-stars in the nebula. Do you know what this means?"

"I can only guess, but… large solar plasma ejection, right?"

"Right. If our timing is right, the flare will annihilate the entire Imperial fleet as well as this asteroid field, eradicating all traces of us ever being here… And you, too!"

Irenez wasn't scared. To her surprise, she was very, very angry. All she wanted to do was to grab the throat of that ever-smiling Twi'lek and press the life out of him, but she knew that was impossible right now.

Suddenly, the alarm went on. _"Attention all personnel!"_ came the voice from the speakers, "_Imperial forces have jumped into the asteroid field and are converging on our location. I repeat. The Empire is here! This is not a drill!"_

"I guess", Seclam said, "This is the point for me to leave this place. Farewell, little human."

He turned around to leave, but suddenly the door went open, revealing the council members Tav Breil'lya, Nextor and the two guard droids Luxum and Dragite. Seclam seemed surprised.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"A change in plans, triumvir", Breil'lya said.

_Fzummm! Fzaaht! Fzung!_

Three lightsabers, green, purple and blue, held by the three droids suddenly pointed at Seclam's throat.

"Finally", Irenez said from her cell. "I thought you would leave me here to rot!"

"Sorry, Irenez, but I was busy." He opened the cell. Irenez stepped out of it and Seclam was placed in it.

"What is the meaning of this?" Seclam wanted to know, "What is this game?"

They ignored him and stormed out into the hallway. "The Imps are here – As you might have noticed", Breil'lya filled her in while they kept running through the alarm-filled corridors, "A full Force Superiority as far as I know."

"What about the Dovin Basal?"

"It's true! And it's already working. It will take out this base and hopefully the fleet, too!"

"Where are we going?"

"Hangar bay 7. I have already taken care of our escape. The only thing missing had been… you."

They reached the hangar bay. A single JV-7 was the only ship remaining. Once they were inside the ship, Nextor ran to the aft of the ship, taking over the turbolaser canon while Dragite and Luxum took control over the cockpit. Irenez noticed that they were the only persons on board.

"Wait a second, Tav", she said, "Where is everybody?"

"Like I said", he said and sat down in a passenger's seat, "I have been busy."

* * *

Deep Space – Dolkar Sector  
Strategic staging point – RS _Liberator_  
Same time

"What are you doing?" General Toros shouted at Laryn Kre'fey. "This is mutiny!"

"No, General", the Bothan replied, "This is saving of lives!"

Together with several other Bothans, Kre'fey had taken over the small bridge of the old _Liberator_-class troop transport. They had herded the bridge crew together and were now securing them with blasters.

"Ras, transmit the new hyperspace coordinates to the other ships", Laryn ordered one of his men, "And then contact the other teams"

Nearly one hundred ships had gathered at this point. But only the few of the _Pegasus_ battle group were combat ships. The vast majority were transports, carrying the majority of the Rebellion supplies. The _Liberator_ was just the flagship of one group.

The holograms of several other Bothans and humans appeared in front of him: Morst Tayl'skar, Karka Kre'fey Utric Sandov, Sena Midanyl and many others.

"Status report?" Laryn Kre'fey asked

"All flagships are under our control", Sena Midanyl said.

"We are submitting the new coordinates now", Morst Tayl'skar reported.

"The _Pegasus_ has already received and confirmed the new coordinates", Utric Sandov informed him.

The _Pegasus_, a Mon Calamari Cruiser, had been the only ship that couldn't have been taken over as easy as the transports. But since she and her line was on escort duty, all they needed to do was to submit new jump coordinates from the _de facto_ flagship of this whole operation: The troop transport _Pelagia_, which was now under the command of Utric Sandov and his team.

All squadrons were now locked on the new coordinates in the Dalonbian Sector. The survival of the Rebellion was secured. Laryn looked at the angry General who was standing with his crew in one corner of the bridge.

"Don't worry", Lary said to General Toros, "One day, you'll thank me for this."

* * *

Reltek-Nebula (Asteroid 773) – Dolkar Sector  
Hangar bay 7 – _Punisher 5_  
Same time

Irenez knew Breil'lya well enough to know that her people were safe, so she no longer followed that issue. She sat down and strapped herself in.

Dragite shouted from the cockpit: "Everybody hang on tight! This'll get hairy!"

She was pressed into her seat as the shuttle accelerated forward out of the hangar.

* * *

Rim of the Reltek-Nebula – Dolkar Sector  
ISS _Fragmentation_ – Bridge  
A few minutes earlier

Vice Admiral LeFey Gordon looked out of his ships main window at the Reltek Nebula. Several proto-stars were seen, as well as numerous asteroids. Over the last weeks he had lost three patrols in there, so now it was time for some payback. He looked out of the other windows and saw the rest of his fleet.

His ship, the _Fragmentation_, a _Praetor_-class Star Battlecruiser that looked like a pumped-up 2.2km version of the _Imperial_-class, was in the center. Around his ship was his escort, _Timeline_, _Hermeskeil_ and _Cosmic Warden_, three _Victory_-class Star Destroyers.

The 89th Force Superiority of his Crimson Diamond Command formed the main assault force in this battle. Three battle squadrons, led by the _Imperial-II_-class Star Destroyers _Core of Had Abbadon_ and _The Planetarian_ and _Tector_-class Star Destroyer _Protuberance_ delivered the muscle, while the 49th light squadron was the eyes.

_

* * *

Galactic Empire Data Bank_

_File #64835581__: Jedi Rebellion of Dolkar_

_Sub-file #64835581-19101__: 89__th__ Force Superiority (Capital Ship Composition)_

-

_-__49th Light Squadron_

_--Attack Line _Aurek-51_  
---_Carrack_-Class Light Cruiser  
---_Strike_-Class Medium Cruiser  
---_Strike_-Class Medium Cruiser  
---EF76 Nebulon-B Escort Frigate  
---EF76 Nebulon-B Escort Frigate_

_--Attack Line _Aurek-2_ [Flag Line]  
---_Dreadnaught_-Class Heavy Cruiser [Flagship: ISS _Cold Blood_]  
---Nebulon-B2 Frigate  
---Nebulon-B2 Frigate_

_--Skirmish Line _Senth-9_  
---Escort Carrier  
---Escort Carrier  
---Escort Carrier  
---CR90 Corvette  
---CR90 Corvette  
---CR90 Corvette  
---CR90 Corvette  
---_Broadside_-Class Cruiser kdb-1  
---_Broadside_-Class Cruiser kdb-1  
---_Broadside_-Class Cruiser kdb-1  
---_Pursuit_-Class Light Cruiser  
---_Pursuit_-Class Light Cruiser  
---_Pursuit_-Class Light Cruiser  
---_Lancer_-class Frigate  
---_Lancer_-class Frigate_

_--Recon Line _Resh-14_  
---Imperial Patrol Frigate  
---Imperial Patrol Frigate  
---Imperial Patrol Frigate_

_-_

_-31st Battle Squadron_

_--__SD-Line SD-4451-T [Flag Line]  
---_Tector_-Class Star Destroyer [Flagship: ISS _Protuberance_]_

_--Attack Line _Aurek-11/L_  
---_Strike_-Class Medium Cruiser  
---EF76 Nebulon-B Escort Frigate  
---EF76 Nebulon-B Escort Frigate_

_--Attack Line _Aurek-24_  
---_Vindicator_-Class Heavy Cruiser  
---_Vindicator_-Class Heavy Cruiser_

_--Pursuit Line _Peth-45_  
---_Lancer_-class Frigate  
---_Lancer_-class Frigate  
---_Lancer_-class Frigate  
---Escort Carrier  
---Escort Carrier  
---Escort Carrier  
---Immobilizer-418 Cruiser  
---_Carrack_-Class Light Cruiser  
---_Carrack_-Class Light Cruiser_

_-_

_-13th Battle Squadron_

–_SD-Line SD-37821 [Flag Line]  
---_Imperial-II_-Class Star Destroyer [Flagship: ISS _The Planetarian_]_

_--Attack Line _Aurek-17_  
---_Vindicator_-Class Heavy Cruiser  
---_Vindicator_-Class Heavy Cruiser  
---_Broadside_-Class Cruiser kdb-1  
---_Broadside_-Class Cruiser kdb-1_

_--Attack Line _Aurek-44_  
---_Lancer_-class Frigate  
---_Lancer_-class Frigate  
---_Lancer_-class Frigate  
---_Strike_-Class Medium Cruiser  
---_Strike_-Class Medium Cruiser_

_--Pursuit Line _Peth-38_  
---_Carrack_-Class Light Cruiser  
---_Carrack_-Class Light Cruiser  
---_Carrack_-Class Light Cruiser  
---CR90 Corvette  
---CR90 Corvette  
---CR90 Corvette  
---CR90 Corvette  
---Escort Carrier  
---Escort Carrier  
---_Pursuit_-Class Light Cruiser  
---_Pursuit_-Class Light Cruiser_

_-_

_-8th Battle Squadron_

_--__SD-Line SD-37555 [Flag Line]  
---_Imperial-II_-Class Star Destroyer [Flagship: ISS _Core of Had Abbadon_]_

_--Attack Line _Aurek-56_  
---Nebulon-B2 Frigate  
---Nebulon-B2 Frigate  
---Nebulon-B2 Frigate  
---_Lancer_-class Frigate  
---_Lancer_-class Frigate_

_--Attack Line _Aurek-10_  
---_Dreadnaught_-Class Heavy Cruiser  
---_Strike_-Class Medium Cruiser  
---_Strike_-Class Medium Cruiser_

_--Pursuit Line _Peth-16_  
---_Assassin_-Class Corvette  
---_Assassin_-Class Corvette  
---Immobilizer-418 Cruiser  
---_Carrack_-Class Light Cruiser  
---_Carrack_-Class Light Cruiser  
---_Carrack_-Class Light Cruiser  
---_Carrack_-Class Light Cruiser  
---Escort Carrier  
---Escort Carrier  
---Escort Carrier_

_-_

_-End of file._

* * *

The three Battle Squadrons had surrounded the asteroids. Elements of the 49th light squadron and moved into the field, alone or in pairs, with or without fighter escort. _Broadside_-cruisers fired long range artillery strike into the field, destroying any suspected hideout. The ships transmitted their telemetry to the three Recon frigates, which again combined these datastreams with their own and transmitted them to the _Fragmentation_. But so far, they had found nothing.

Vice-Admiral Gordon watched the hologram of the asteroids field. He had nothing to say. His orders were clear and until there was a new development, no new orders were necessary. _Never trust a traitor… Where is that Rebel fleet? I'm getting impatient!_

"Admiral", the Captain of the _Fragmentation_ asked, "shouldn't we activate the Interdictors?

"No, captain", Gordon replied. "This may also be a trap and we don't want to lock ourselves in."

"Yes, sir."

"Admiral", a young Ensign came from the comm-station, "Recon Frigate _Under the Stars_ reports strange gravity- and EM-readings from the one of the Stars."

"Tell them to keep an eye on it. "

"Yes, sir."

"Contact!" The sensor officer shouted. Indeed, a small red dot had joined the green ones skimming through the holographic asteroid field.

A new, static voice appeared on the bridge. "Command, this is Captain Talbat, _Heart of Destiny_, I think I've found the Rebel base. Asteroid 773. Several external turbolaser and hangar bays. One shuttle has left – initiating pursuit."

"New contact, Admiral!" The sensor officer shouted again. "Rim of the Nebula, _Dreadnaught_-class. Ships are moving to incept!"

On the hologram, two green dots that were closest to the newest red one left their position and begun to intercept in a ninety-degree angle. The red dot ignored the newcomers and continued its path. It had started from high above the asteroid field and was a straight line towards Asteroid 773, the Rebel shuttle and the Cruiser _Heart of Destiny_.

The two imperial ships got closer and started to blink, as did the red one: All ships had opened fire.

"Ship identified, Admiral", the voice came from the crew pit, "It's the _Mercury_, a… Bothan ship?"

"Interesting but unimportant", the Admiral ordered, "Activate Interdictors! One ship is better than none!"

* * *

Reltek-Nebula – Dolkar Sector  
Near Asteroid 773 – Shuttle _Punisher 5_  
Same time

The shuttle rocked under the impacts. The _Pursuit_-class cruiser did not have the acceleration or manoeuvrability to compete with the shuttle, but the squadron of TIE Interceptors surely had. And then there were still the two heavy turbolaser cannons of the cruiser: One direct hit and they were toast. But the shuttle had pilots and gunners that were guided by the force. So far, the damage of the shields was minimal.

Dragite brought the ship into another spin. Two Interceptors had suspected a turn into another direction and now had to fly a long bow until they were a threat again. But another pair was still on the shuttle's tail.

A JV-7 shuttle's greatest weapon was the aft-mounted light turbolaser turret, especially for pursuing starfighters. Nextor fired a salvo into the two fighters. The first one got two hits on its shields and broke of, while the other one lost his shields completely as well as the left solar wing. Leaving a smoke trail, he vanished into the asteroids.

But unfortunately for the shuttle, the last manoeuvre had brought it directly head-to-head with the cruiser.

Reltek-Nebula – Dolkar Sector

Above the Asteroid field – around the _Mercury_

A few minutes earlier

The two Imperial CR90-Corvettes got into weapon range and opened fire. The laser bolts impacted on the shields of the large cruiser, making them glow. The _Dreadnaught_ ignored them and continued its path. The corvettes were faster and joined the Cruiser on its way down, caught up, one on each side. Both Corvettes made a ninety-degree barrel-roll, so that their upsides pointed towards the enemy ship, which allowed them to deliver a maximum of firepower.

Now the turbolaser blisters on the _Dreadnaught_'s hull sprung to life. The port cannons hit the spine of the corvette, causing a massive detonation. The Corvette drifted off, with several secondary explosions bursting out all over the ship, before it finally detonated in one fireball. The starboard turbolasers hit the other Corvette just before the engine block. Several searing flames sprung out of the hull. No longer able to steer, the Corvette crashed into an asteroid.

* * *

Reltek-Nebula – Dolkar Sector  
Near Asteroid 773 – Shuttle _Punisher 5_  
A few minutes earlier

Dragite saw the Imperial cruiser right ahead. Its heavy turbolasers were charged and glowing, ready to strike. His first thought was to break off, but then he felt a prickle in the force. He transferred all possible energy to the front shields, but didn't change the course.

A large red beam from above descended upon the cruiser, impacted on the bow and emerged on the underside. Two torpedoes hit the upper left superstructure, leaving the cruiser drifting.

Luxum, looked up and saw the descending _Dreadnaught_. "Looks like our ride is here!"

"And not a moment too late!" Dragite added, "The sun's going critical!"

* * *

Rim of the Reltek-Nebula – Dolkar Sector  
ISS _Fragmentation_ – Bridge  
Same time

The two red dots, representing the shuttle and the cruiser, merged into one and the, it vanished.

"Interdictors are online… now!" an officer reported.

"Too late", Gordon sighed. "They're gone."

"Sir", the Ensign reported, "The activity in the star is growing. According to _Under the Stars_ this is very unusual for star in this stadium. The only explanation would be…"

"New contact!" the sensor officer shouted again, "Mon Calamari Cruiser, edge of the system!"

That got the Admiral's attention. "Turn this ship around!" He ordered, "Escorts in formation Alpha-Three. Squadron Eight on stand by, launch all starfighters!"

"Errr… Correction, Admiral", the sensor officer said, "Cruiser identified as _Black Citadel_, Inquisitor Redge's ship."

Gordon groaned. _Why in the name of Kashi Mer's Last Emperor did he take a Mon Cal? A normal ImpStar would have done the same and saved a lot of trouble!_

"The ship is transmitting a priority one message, Admiral", the Captain reported. "Decoding in progress."

"All right, what about the sun, Ensign?" Gordon asked.

"New data is coming in… Oh by the Gods of the Sith, it's going critical! Massive solar eruption!"

* * *

Reltek-Nebula – Dolkar Sector  
Deep Space – Near a proto-star  
Same time

A strange creature was floating in the nebula. Bred and created outside this galaxy by a yet unknown race, this being had just one purpose. Gifted with the ability to manipulate gravity, it had altered the young star, creating an imbalance in the wild fusion process. But the universe condemned an imbalance and so, driven by the immense powers that lay within the young star, a fountain of superheated solar plasma was ejected, towards the creature.

The creature, of course, being mortal like anyone else, was vaporised within a millisecond. But for the solar flare, this wasn't the end of her journey. This wave of raw galactic power would destroy anything in her path, no matter whom, no matter what.

---End of Part 2---

**

* * *

Author's notes:**

-As someone might have noticed, there were several different fractions within the Rebels. Fanatics like the cell led by Iran Kalamar and more freedom-oriented ones.

-The mysterious Commander, Irenez, Sena Midanyl and the _Liberator_ should be enough hints to point towards a certain Rebel splinter cell.

-The Dovin Basale showed that other 'groups' are interested in the Rebellion as well, although for their own reasons.

-The _Mercury_ and all the other Bothans like Tav Breil'lya, showed that a certain Bothan clan had worked together with the Corellian Rebels for quite a long time. The _Mercury_ first appeared in _X-Wing Alliance_, by the way.

-The _Pelagia_ was a massive troop transport that first appeared in Empire's End, capable of transporting a hundred thousand troops plus equipment.

-The _Liberator_ was of the _Liberator_-class, but it was not the first ship of the class. This Liberator was once known as _Trader's Luck_ which was once known as _Guardian of the Republic_.

-The _Pegasus_ battle group was one of many Roving Battle Lines the Rebellion used.

-Imperial patrol/recon frigates, like the _Under the Stars_ were modified Nebuon-Bs, towing a large sensor pod. Although armed, it was better for them to stay out of combat areas.

-_Pursuit_-class light cruisers were from the old Marvel Star Wars comics.

-Part three of Chapter 19 should be finished soon, in the meantime, read and enjoy. If you have any questions or comments, let me know.

-JCE1985


	22. Chapter 19, Part 3

Part 3: Cat and Mouse – The tale of Lianna Curas and the Commandos

C'tau III – Dolkar Sector  
C'tau-System Deep Space Shipyards – Chairman's office  
Around three weeks before the Battle of Marol

Telken Curas was happy with his life. He had a loving family and a good and well-paid job. His situation had even improved when his predecessor, Alrik Hevrin, and his family had been killed by the Rebels during the attack on the Imperial Palace on Cyphar. Now he had been elected as the new chairman of the whole shipyard company.

The Shipyards were a civilian institution, like the Kuat Drive Yards, but they mainly produced and repaired ships for the local imperial Navy Forces. Only a small part concentrated on civilian production, which was still enough for this sector. But working for the Empire would also mean a constant pressure from high-nosed Navy Officers. He had dealt with ever since he had started working for the shipyard – which had cost him most of his hairs – but since he was still alive he was confident to be able to deal with them in the future.

The new job also meant less free time for him, but he could accept this. His son was already grown up and had left for the university on Mrlsst and he had hardly any contact with him (a fact that both of them regret) and his daughter Lianna was at an elite school on a planet he didn't remember. But somehow there had been a sudden an unexpected break at the school and his daughter had announced a surprise visit to him.

Just as he thought of her, his secretary informed him that his daughter had arrived. As she walked into his office, he saw that she still looked as beautiful as he had remembered her with her long straw-blond hairs and large brown eyes. Her expression was as shy as always and her conservative school uniform even underlined it.

As loving father he hugged his daughter dearly and greeted her.

"Welcome home, Lianna", he said.

"Thank you, daddy", she replied. Was there a tune of sadness in it? No, he had to imagine it.

They had a short chat about the past and the recent events at Lianna's school which had caused the sudden holidays. Of course, he was happy to see her, although it was unexpected and he asked her what else he could do for her.

"You could show me the defence systems of the shipyards, daddy", she replied.

_Of course, the defence system_, he thought, _what else?_

* * *

C'tau-System – Dolkar Sector  
Near the C'tau-III Shipyards – Shuttle _Lambda-2_  
Around two weeks before the Battle of Marol

Fouron leaned back on the co-pilot's seat and stretched his arms. "Ahh, finally. Civilisation!"

"I preferred the light pattern of the hyperspace", Sixtee said from the pilot's controls, "But anyway, pay attention to the traffic."

Fouron shook his head. "C'mon, Sixtee. Relax!"

"I'll relax when you shut up", was the dry reply.

A new voice came from behind them. "Very well, guys", Intelligence Operative Kaler Raum said, "I had to listen to you for the whole trip, so please be quiet for at least the last five minutes. We have to track down the Rebel cell on these shipyards so I want my headache gone when we arrive!"

"Man, these are the largest shipyards in this sector", Fouron complained, looking at the network of space stations in front of them. "How are we supposed to find anything?"

Sixtee ignored the comment. "We are approaching the security perimeter, Agent Raum. Should we identify ourselves?"

The answer came immediately: "No, use one of our fake identities. We'll keep a low profile, so the Rebels won't be too alert."

The _Lambda_-class shuttle joined an incoming stream of starships heading towards C'tau-III and the orbiting shipyards. The shipyards were not one giant station like Kuat or Nespis VIII, they were a network consisting of several smaller stations, connected by shuttles, tugs, pods, and freighters. The center was a giant _Cardan V_-class Station that also housed the whole administration. Eight smaller Telgorn Corp. shipyards surrounded the central station in a planar pattern. Beneath them was an even larger Type-II repair yard, capable of building Super Star Destroyers, although there had never been built one here at C'tau III. Two Golan III Space Colonies floated behind the whole array, between the shipyards and the planet. The whole collection of stations was surrounded by a network of numerous floating automated gun emplacements and sensor arrays.

Additional to this, the 56th Force Escort and the 367th Force Technical Services of the Crimson Diamond Command were permanently stationed in the System.

The Force Escort with its ninety-six ships was stretched all over the sector always escorting convoys or hunting pirates, which left currently only the flagship – the old _Victory_-I-class Star Destroyer _Koblenz II_ – and a few smaller ships at the shipyards.

The Force Technical System consisted only of twenty-five ships: eight massive KDY-Evakmar maintenance carriers – four currently docked to the Type-II yard and four all over the sector; sixteen Nebulon-B and Nebulon-B2 Escort Frigates and the Force's flagship and coordination center, the _Black Flag_, a _Class-II_ frigate.

* * *

C'tau III shipyards – Dolkar Sector_  
C'tau Forge 5_ – Hotel Room  
A few hours later

Fouron, Sixtee and Raum had checked in at the Hotel as representatives of a private shipping company, looking for new ships. The _C'tau Forge 5_ was the most exclusice and expensive hotel of the whole shipyards, located at the _Cardan_-station, extensively used by managers, lobbyists and high-ranking imperial officers. The three men had decided to look for the Rebels by searching the flow of money around the station. If they found any suspects, they would most likely live here.

Once they were alone, Sixtee and Fouron immediately started to search for hidden listening devices and unpacked their weapons and armor, while Kaler Raum connected his computer with the room's dataport and started hacking into the station's systems.

_Very well_, Raum thought while he cracked his fingers, _Let's see what I can find…_

* * *

C'tau III shipyards – Dolkar Sector  
Storage array C – Secret meeting place  
Same Time

Lianna Curas looked at the men that had gathered around the small lamp. They all looked like life-hardened dock-workers or similar. They all had one grim determination in their faces: To bring down the Empire and the chance of a better life. She was the youngest of them and she could feel through the force that most of them didn't know what to do with her. But that would change soon. One of them, their leader, was explaining the plan:

"We have to take over the command center as fast as possible. Once the fleet arrives, we'll deactivate the defence grid; the troops will land and take over all important position. When everything is under control, the workers will finish as much ships as possible and we'll jump away all together again. Any question?"

One man raised his hand. "I know this is an old question but how can we turn off the weapon platforms? We need the master control access code and I thought we had all agreed that it was impossible to get."

The leader nodded. "I know. That's why I asked for help. That's why high command had sent _her_ to us." He pointed at Lianna.

"Her?" another one asked, "No offense, but what can a little girl do?"

"I'm a Jedi", Lianna replied, calm and confident. She felt a wave of shock, awe and respect running among all of them.

"I thought they were all extinct!" the man said with a silent voice.

"Don't worry", Lianna replied, "We are still out there. And we will help you. I promise."

"That's right", the leader said, "She'll get close to chairman Curas and get access code from him."

Lianna nodded. Although the leader knew it, he hadn't revealed to his men that she was the chairman's daughter. Something that she was grateful for, because if it was revealed, there would be a lot of questions and suspicions from the men and she didn't feel like answering them. _Maybe because some of their suspicions are not without reason…_

"Another question", someone else asked, "How do we get the workers do the work for us? I mean, some will, but most of them won't cooperate, I think…"

"A good question", the leader replied, "And the answer is the same as the one to the question: 'What will keep the Imps from blasting everything away?' We'll place several baradium-bombs inside the space colonies. That way we have hostages that will prevent the Empire from interfering and keep the workers in line."

"Excuse me sir", the man replied, "but we don't have any baradium! And it's not easy to get some of this stuff."

"I know", the leader replied, "But we've managed to find a way. A smuggler named Abal'ora, who's regularly visiting the shipyards, will bring it to us. Thanks to the support of high command, we also have the credits to pay for it."

If this hadn't been a secret meeting, all men would have applauded. But they all remained silent, nodding in agreement. Finally the day of judgement had come.

But someone didn't join this silent enthusiasm. Lianna Curas was busy with her own thoughts.

_Baradium? This is insane! We are supposed to free the galaxy, not to bring terror!_

_Shut up! You're a Rebel now! You have to follow orders! _

_But I'm also a Jedi. And__ we have to honour _all_ life in the universe!_

_No peace without sacrifices. _

_But my father is among them…_

_You said it yourself: You are a Jedi now. No family except the Jedi Order. Get that in your stupid little head!_

_I know, but it just feels wro__ng!_

_

* * *

  
_

C'tau-III shipyards – Dolkar Sector_  
Cardan V_-class station – Docking bay 45  
Night, Around one and a half weeks before the Battle of Marol

There was nothing interesting about the ship: A standard run-of-the-mill Type C freighter, complete with major modifications, including two quad-laser turrets. The name of the ship was _Cirilon Traveller_.

But what was interesting was the fact that this whip was also known as _Marja_, _Freighter C-2176_ and _Starlight of Arkania_, with a long history of smuggling. Raum had found it when he was following the trail of the credits that had been transferred from a possible Rebel bank account. The account had let him and the commandos to a low-level manager, who, after several hour of interrogation, had revealed the date and place of the meeting.

Now Kaler Raum was standing behind some crates in the docking bay, again donned in his Operative Armor with the bulky shoulders. The crew of the freighter stood in front of the loading ramp: The captain, a scarred Twi'lek and two other non-humans: A Bothan and a Sullustan. Several CLL-8 binary load lifters had already begun with unloading smaller crates from the cargo hold.

_A standard Type C has a crew of four, so there's one inside, ma__ybe more, maybe in the turret…_

Raum's thoughts were interrupted when the main doors of the bay opened. Three men walked in, together with a hover sled.

"Here they come", Raum whispered into his comlink, "Get ready."

Sixtee, who stood next to him, nodded and loaded a grenade into the launcher of his DLT-19. Fouron, who was hidden high above them on the opposite of the hanger, hiding in the durasteel carriers, responded with two clicks in his com.

One of the new men greeted the ship's captain with a handshake, while the other two instructed the droids to put the crates on the sled.

"Hokay, let's move!"

He stormed around the crate towards the freighter. "Imperial Intelligence!" He shouted, "Everybody stop!"

Of course, nobody did. The smugglers draw their weapons and wanted to shoot at him. But before one of them could pull the trigger, one of them was hit in the back by red blaster fire, courtesy of Fouron. The two remaining smugglers turned around in surprise. Raum hit the Sullustan with a salvo from his SE-14r and Fouron scored another hit and blasted the face of the captain.

The three men on the other hand didn't even bother to shoot back, they started to run immediately. Sixtee, who was directly behind Raum kneeled down, aimed for a second and fired a sonic grenade directly between them. All flew through the air and landed hard on the ground – and stayed there.

Then suddenly the quad-laser turret of the freighter facing the whole scene went to life and released a firestorm of red plasma towards the location of Fouron. Sixtee switched his rifle to single-shot and targeted the turret. The blast was powerful enough to stop a small speeder, but not to penetrate starship armor. Raum ducked and ran under the freighter, entering the ramp. Recalling the basic blueprints of a Type-C freighter he had seen earlier in the Databank, he found the main corridor. A red-haired woman saw him and fired. She missed, but Raum did not. One three-shot salvo: One hit in the lower right abdomen, one in the upper left chest and one into the shoulder.

He ran into the room were the turret access had to be. He found a Rodian sitting at the controls, so obsessed with the shooting, that he didn't even notice how the barrel was pushed against the back of his head.

Outside the fire died down. "Fouron", Sixtee called, "Are you still with us?"

There was a coughed reply. "Pretty scorched, but yes. I got out fast enough before he turned my place into a new Humbarine."

Sixtee saw how Agent Raum came down the ramp. He was covered from face to foot with green goo. Not that he wanted to, but he saw the glare of Raum that said: 'Don't ask!' He walked towards the three men. They were still alive, only knocked out from the sonic blast. Fouron, Sixtee and Raum each searched one of them, first for weapons. They all found the same weapon:

Imperial Munitions 22T4 hold-out blaster

Standard issue for agents of the Imperial Security Bureau

* * *

C'tau-III shipyards – Dolkar Sector  
Docking bay 45 – Ventilation shaft  
Same time

Lianna watched with interest as customs troopers swarmed the docking bay, confiscated the cargo and dragged away the injured and dead. It was supposed to be their cargo, but things had gone different than planned. The smuggler Abal'ora and his crew normally just smuggled in some forbidden luxury goods for an ISB Colonel who would then sell them for people higher in the food chain. However, despite not being the perfect soldier, he was not a traitor, so Lianna and her comrades had to wait until the captain and the colonel had finished their deal, before the Rebels could get their baradium.

But now, things were different. Not only that they had to improvise to get new heavy stuff, there were also Intelligence Operatives to be taken care of. And not just some Operatives: Specialized Jedi hunters.

_I promise, you__'ll be my number one target…_

* * *

C'tau-III shipyards – Dolkar Sector_  
Cardan V_-class station – Security Command  
The next morning

Kaler Raum looked outside the window. The mighty KDY-Evakmar Deep Space maintenance ships left the dock, one after another. With them they took several frigates, corvettes and cruiser of the Escort Force until only a small portion of ships was left. Vice-Admiral Gordon had given the order to destroy all possible Rebel hideouts in this sector and now, after the job was done, many ships needed repairs – repairs that could not wait until the return to the safe home base.

He was wearing a standard black uniform of Imperial Intelligence. The rank tab showed his rank of a Captain. Sixtee and Fouron were there, too. They were also wearing black uniforms instead of their armor, but without any insignia. They had spent the whole night interrogating the ISB Colonel they had arrested during the raid.

So far, the results had been… disturbing. They had not only found several crates of expensive and illegal luxury goods, but also several barrels of weapons-grade baradium. The Colonel had insisted on his innocence, well… mostly. He admitted his participation in the smuggling, but denied any knowledge of the baradium. And, after the Colonel had told them his whole life, Raum agreed that baradium-smuggling was not the league of the Colonel.

The data banks of the freighter confirmed his story. They also revealed that a second deal had been planned that evening.

"So, basically", Fouron said after all these hours, "we screwed things up and scared the rebels away."

"Not completely", Raum replied, "We have their baradium, which is now safe in the garrison on C'tau III."

"Which helps us how? The local security troops are searching the whole shipyards for other hidden baradium. We can only hope they find it before the Rebels use it!"

Raum tried to rub some sleep out of his eyes. "They won't find anything", he said, "That was their whole shipment."

"What makes you so sure?" Sixtee asked.

"Several facts: First, baradium is hard to hide. Harvesting it over weeks or even months and keep it a secret is impossible for a Rebel cell on that scale. Second, the baradium of that shipment had been enough to destroy the whole shipyard. Anything more would have been overkill. And third…"

"All right, all right!" Fouron interrupted, "I get it!"

In that moment, the door opened. The chief of the local security forces came in with to of his men.

"Have you completed the search?" Raum asked, knowing the answer.

"Not yet, Captain", the chief replied. "I have come here with a special order. The Colonel and the other prisoners are to be transferred to the planetary headquarters of the C'tau-III-Security Force. Immediately."

"On whose behalf?" Fouron asked, baffled.

"The governor's", the chief replied, handing over a data pad.

Kaler Raum wasn't surprised. The Colonel had supplied the upper class of this planet with forbidden pleasures. Apparently he had done a good job; otherwise the governor wouldn't risk his neck confronting Imperial Intelligence. They were too lazy to get used to a new face who would most definitely take over the Colonel's post in the underworld, so they used their influence to get him out. In return, the Colonel would now be in their dept and not the other way round. That was the game, these were the rules.

Fouron was about to confront the chief. Understandable, since he had been up all night _and_ had gotten almost fried, but Raum was in no mood for this.

"Very well", he said, much to the surprise of Fouron, "Take him. He's all yours."

"Thank you, Captain", the chief said with a nod, "For your cooperation."

"No problem, chief. After all, we're all on the same side."

After the chief had left with the prisoners, Fouron turned to Raum.

"I can't believe you gave him away!" He said

"He's not the one we're after" Raum replied, "He was just a small fish, offering the small amount of smuggling and black market that every civilisation needs. A little ISB Colonel, known and awarded for his bravery and loyalty is now smuggling baradium for the Rebellion? I don't think so."

"And what about the Rebels?" Sixtee asked. "Where are they?"

"Still around. We have to proceed with our plan. One day they'll show up again and we have to be ready."

* * *

C'tau-III shipyards – Dolkar Sector_  
Cardan V_-class station – Central Command  
Morning – Two days before the Battle of Marol (Galactic Standard: 30:00:01)

Telken Curas was on his daily walk through the station. It was still early in the morning and there was little activity in this part of the station. As chairman of the shipyard company he had little to do in the command center as well as most of the other parts he was usual visiting, but it was an old habit and it felt good to stay in contact with the people.

As he entered the command station, everything seemed to be going as quiet as usual. But he could feel that something was wrong. Yesterday terrorists had attacked a holiday camp on the planet Wan'ber, resulting in the death of many young boys and girls. His daughter Lianna could have been there. He was lucky that she was visiting him here, but many other parents had not been that lucky.

He greeted everyone. The acting commander, the sensor tech… He asked if something of interest happened, but the answer was as usual.

"Nothin' important, Mr Curas. We had some traffic problems in sector seven 'cause some freighters mixed up their schedules, but it was a quiet night. Oh, and one of the big Evakmars returned from Retalla, the _Great Wide Open_, including her escort."

Telken Curas was about to leave. He turned around to the doors, only to see them open and several men coming in, wearing the orange jumpsuits of the company. However, they suddenly pulled out blasters and stormed the room. Everyone was taken by surprise. The new arrivals quickly took over each station and centred the whole crew, including Telken, in a corner of the command station.

And then two other persons entered the room. The first one was wearing the same jumpsuit as the others, but by his behaviour and the reactions of the others Telken could see that _he_ was their leader. But the other person broke his heart. Wearing a long brown robe above her school uniform, Liana Curas walked in.

"Hello, father", she said with a soft smile.

* * *

C'tau-III shipyards – Dolkar Sector  
Space – Outside the shipyars  
Same time

Time and space were ripped open as a hyperspace window opened and the Rebel fleet emerged into real space again. The _Oceanborn_ was the first ship to leave, but not the only one. At least seven other Mon Calamari Cruisers followed, as well as several other heavy cruisers and dozens of frigates, corvettes and transports.

The first imperial ship that responded was the aging _Victory-I_-class destroyer _Koblenz II_. Her heavy turbolaser targeted a Rebel ship and destroyer the corvette with one blast. A lucky shot since the ship had just come out of hyperspace and had no shields.

The response came immediately: A full salvo of the _Oceanborn_'s heavy turbolasers crippled the starboard shields of the Star Destroyer. The _Koblenz II_ turned around to present an undamaged shield towards the attackers, ready to fire a broadside.

But also the other ships present reacted. The _Black Flag_ came in, together with several TIE squadrons and two corvettes. A Nebulon-B and three other corvettes were spread over the shipyards but now all moved in. Against such a giant fleet the brave defenders had no chance, but with some luck and the shipyards automated defence platforms they could prolong the battle long enough for reinforcements to arrive.

* * *

C'tau-III shipyards – Dolkar Sector_  
Cardan V_-class station – Central Command  
Same time

"Lianna what are you doing?" Telken Curas shouted at his daughter.

"We are liberating these shipyards, father" she replied softly.

"Liberating? Looks to me more like Destroying! Lianna, these men are terrorists and murderers! Have you not seen what they did on Wan'ber?"

Lianna sighed and took a deep breath. "I have learned not to listen to imperial propaganda, father", she replied and raised a hand to interrupt him before he could reply. "Listen, I know you are angry at me and I can understand that. But just listen to us or just watch us and you will see we are not the demons the Empire makes us look like. Just wait and maybe… Yes, maybe one day you'll thank me for this."

"Enough with that family chit-chat", the leader interrupted. "Miss Curas, we need to control these defence platform. If you please…"

"Forget it, Rebel scum", the acting commander shouted, "You need a central command code and there is no way I'll give it to you!"

"And neither will I!" Telken added.

"Oh father", Lianna said while she walked over to a console. "You have given me these codes days ago."

"What?" Telken said with a shock, "I would never do such a thing!"

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me father", Lianna replied and started to type things on the keyboard, "While you thought I was at some elite boarding school, I really attended to a secret academy that taught me the arts of the Jedi."

The room went silent. One the main screen the _Koblenz II_ took a heavy beating from several Calamari Cruisers.

"Yes, father", Lianna continued, "I am force-sensitive. And while the Empire would never give me a chance, the Jedi helped me to become something great. I am a fully trained knight and I simply _took_ these codes from you."

"No, Lianna", Telekn said with desperation, "No you didn't…"

* * *

C'tau-III shipyards – Dolkar Sector  
ISS _Koblenz II_ – Bridge  
Same time

"Captain! The Rebels are jamming all communication frequencies!" a bridge officer shouted while turbolaser fire rained down on the Star Destroyer's shields. "We can't get through!"

The situation was desperate and Captain Orgram knew it. The shipyards only had protection against pirates and smaller fleets. The large defence grid and the _Cardan_-station would certainly give this fleet a little trouble, but it would not be stopped.

But he knew he could only win with reinforcements.

"Transfer all energy to the communication array!" he shouted, "Maybe we can break through!"

"Channel open!"

"Attention all Imperial forces: C'tau III-shipyards are under attack by Rebel forces and we need reinforcements! I repeat: The Rebels are attacking and jamming our communications; we can't hold them for long…"

The gun batteries suddenly ceased fire and space suddenly became a lot clearer. But the sensor reading showed something more disturbing.

"What are these guys doing?" Captain Orgram wanted to know, "They're aiming…"

The platforms sprung to live again. The _Koblenz II_'s shieldless starboard side which had been turned towards the shipyards was now the main target. Armor and weapons were ripped apart from the silver hull and detonated into space while several explosions erupted all over the hull.

* * *

C'tau-III shipyards – Dolkar Sector_  
Cardan V_-class station – Central Command  
A few moments later

The Star Destroyer turned into a kaleidoscope and chain reaction of numerous fireballs, explosions and burning wreckage. After that was done, the batteries turned towards their secondary objectives: A retreating corvette, already burning from several impacts, was destroyed within seconds. Four other active imperial ships were still docked: They had returned last night together with the _Great Wide Open_: Two Nebulon-B- and two _Lancer_-class frigates. Without shields and only a skeleton crew the ships were easy prey. The only ship spared was the _Great Wide Open_, but it was, although based on the old _Venator_-design, no combat ship at all.

"The shipyards have been secured", Lianna finally said.

"Good", the leader said, "What about the commandos?"

In that moment, a slight rumbling went through the station.

"What was that?" the leader demanded to know.

"Detonation in the hotel _C'tau Forge 5_", a man quickly replied, "I'm bringing up the external cameras"

The main screen showed the outer hull of the station. A small part of the hull was missing and the surrounding metal was still glowing. All the air had already left the room and several bodies were drifting in space.

* * *

C'tau-III shipyards – Dolkar Sector_  
Cardan V_-class station – Air ventilation shaft  
Same time

Another person was seeing the same, but he had hacked into the camera system. Kaler Raum and the two commandos had left their hotel room as soon as they had detected the communication jamming field. The booby traps had been there since the raid on the freighter, because they had to assume the Rebels knew of their presence.

He put the data pad away and continued to crawl. _Very well, Rebels_, he thought, _Four down, ten thousand to go… The game is on!_

**End of Part 3**

**

* * *

Author's Notes:**

-_Cardan V_-class Space stations are from _Empire at War_, Telgorn Repair Yards and Golan III Space colonies from _X-Wing Alliance_ and Type-II repair yards from _Cracken's Threat Dossier_.

-KDY-Evakmar Maintenance carrier are from the _Imperial Sourcebook_. These ships are of the same type as the enormous Corps Transport, capable of transporting around 80,000 soldiers plus equipment and vehicles. Since there are no pictures of these important ships, I have them based on the old _Venator_-design. These ships have great capacities, after all.

-_Class II_-frigates are a weaker version of the _Acclamator_-class, a multipurpose ship designed for patrol and peacekeeping operations. They first appeared in the comic _Darklighter_.

-_Type C_-freighters are from _X-Wing Allince_, too. They're around 190m long and (usually) unarmed.

-I'm sorry that it took me so long to post the next chapter. I can only hope that I'll finish the next chapter sooner. In the meantime, enjoy this chapter and review.

-JCE1985.


	23. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**** – Setting the stage**

Hyperspace – En route to Regal IV  
ISS _Rapid Raptor_ – Briefing room  
A few hours after the Battle of Marol

"I have done some research in the databanks", Lieutenant Caybasi said, "and Inquisitor Redge himself has provided some very useful information, so I can present you a clearer picture of this 'Droid Jedi'."

Arky, Tel, Cassidy, Lieutenant Caybasi and the two commandoes that had come with them had come together to plan their arrival at Regal IV, but of course everybody was also interested in this topic. Arkyn wanted prove that his friend was not going insane and Tel wanted the same for himself. His memories of that duel were a little… blurred. And Cassidy wanted to know why she had been deceived all these years… again. Fiver and Howler just wanted to know how to blast them.

"His name", Caybasi continued, "Is Qixoni and he member of a Jedi sub-group called the 'Iron Knights'. They first appeared around 31 PreEmpire during the Arkanian Revolution."

"Are they some kind of twisted Arkanian experiment?" Tel wanted to know, "Because that would explain a lot!"

"No, they aren't. And they are _not_ force-sensitive droids. They are Shards, silicon-based inorganic crystalline life-forms from the planet Orax. They send out electromagnetic pulses to communicate and it also allows them to control droid bodies. As a so-called sentient species under the Old Republic, they had ambassadors in the Senate and traded mining rights for computer- and droid-technology. A few of them – thirteen to be precise – were force-sensitive."

"Force-sensitive living crystal inside droids", Tel interrupted, "Am I the only one who thinks that this is sick and wrong?"

"Apparently not", Caybasi said, "Under current law, Shards have been declared as non-sentient live forms and droids are banned from the planet. But the Empire was not the first to see this perversity. There was a Jedi Master in the order with rather unorthodox thinking. His name was Aqinos, a Sunesi from Monor II. He found these force-sensitive crystals and taught them the way of the Jedi.

We all know that the Jedi had some rather different views on the galaxy, but when they heard of these 'Iron Knights', they expelled them from the Order. Apparently they collided with their views of the 'living force' or something like that."

"Hey, the Jedi were good for something!"

"But their story does not end here. For their actions during the Arkanian Revolution, the Chancellor of the Old Republic made them all High Marshals and even gave them their own ship."

"Oh great!" Tel moaned, "Another brilliant feat of the Old Republic. I hope the Empire did a better job!"

"Unfortunately, no", the Lieutenant continued, "After a skirmish on Dweem they vanished. But we have a complete list of them: Originally, there were thirteen 'Iron Knights' plus Master Aqinos. Two of them died during the Revolution, one of them on Xagobah during the Clone Wars and another on Talasea during the Purge. That leaves nine unaccounted for. I have transferred their files to you datapads, please read them carefully, you might need them.

Now for the Rakatan Temples of Regal IV: Miss Nolan and I have identified the building that _might_ hold the 'Eye of the One'."

"Might?" Arkyn asked.

"Miss Nolan was right; the runes could be interpreted in both ways. The temple might be the end or the beginning of the quest that leads to the 'Eye'. However, like the Inquisitor already said, we can't take a risk. According to the texts, the entrance to the temple is also protected by an ancient force field and can only be opened by an old Rakatan chant and only by force-sensitive beings. The chant is split up into several verses, which can be found in five different temples in the valley."

Tel sighed. "Why is this ancient stuff always so complicated? Why can't things be easy?"

"Maybe that's a reason why ancient alien cultures are extinct", Caybasi said with a smile. "But we are the Empire, we are human, we just _make_ things easy. This cruiser is equipped with an upgraded hyperdrive developed by Professor Admiral Glermin, making it the fastest capital ship in this sector. Because of this, several other equipments had been added to make it a fast-response-ship for terrorist situations. That includes high-resolution planetary sensors, Spec-Ops gear and weapons and a H.O.P.E.-System."

"H.O.P.E.?" Tel asked excited, "Sweet. No matter what, we're using it or I'm out!"

"Don't worry. Our mysterious Jedi, the one who wiped out an entire FIRST-platoon and the reason we came here is most definitely down on that planet and already inside the temple. The best way to enter it is via the roof and the fastest way to get there is H.O.P.E., so you can use it."

"What is this H.O.P.E.-System anyway?" Cassidy asked confused.

"Just a little remnant from the Clone Wars", Tel said with a smile.

* * *

C'tau III – Dolkar Sector_  
Cardan V_-class station – Quarters  
Rebel Occupation – 35 hours

_Loyal and strong workers of the glorious C'tau-III-Shipyards, the tyranny of the Empire has come to an end. Be happy and joyful, because an era of peace and justice has begun. Don't be afraid of the future; go to your work as you did everyday. Pay attention to __the Rebel Occupation Council and obey the soldiers placed here for your own protection. _

_Because the Empire would not allow you a new beginning and is already stretching its claws out to oppress you again, several explosive devices have been placed everywhere in the station to ensure the safety and future of you and your families._

_Be strong, be faithful and soon we will all enjoy the fruits of freedom and justice!_

_Your humble servant,_

_Council triumvir Tailamur_.

Marcal Donar walked down the hallway towards his quarters. He had heard this speech so often in the last hours that had lost count. The battle had been over quickly: Within an hour all defending ships had been destroyed and Rebel troopers had seized control of the shipyards. All imperial military personnel – security, administration and ship crews – had been detained in one of the eight Telgorn Corp. shipyards. All civilian workers – including Marcal – had been told to continue their current work, but the Rebels were already shifting the crews and concentrated the workers on only a few incomplete ships.

He was glad that his wife and children were on the planet when the attack had happened, but many others were not so lucky. Thousands people were now restrained to their quarters – either here or in the two Space Colonies – held hostage to ensure the cooperation of their working family members.

It was a difficult time for him. Marcal Donar had always supported the Empire and was proud building some of the most powerful warships this galaxy had ever seen. But now he had to help the Rebels. Sure, he had not worked as ambitious as he had done for the Empire, but he had worked. But what could he do? He was only an engineer. He had graduated at the University of Technology of Necha'a, one of the best of his class, but not for helping terrorists. But what could he do?

His quarters were empty since his family was not here. At least they should be empty. Three men awaited him. They were all wearing different styles of black armor. Definitely imperial, but… "…what in the name of the Legions of Lettow are you doing in my room?"

"I'm sorry for the intrusion, Mr Donar", the man with the big shoulder armor said, "but we needed a place to hide for a while. I am Intelligence Operative Kaler Raum and I… we need your help."

* * *

Hyperspace – En route to Regal IV  
ISS _Rapid Raptor_ – H.O.P.E.-Installation Starboard  
A few hours after the Battle of Marol

Arkyn was checking his equipment. Robes and lightsabers were nice, but the Jedi he was expecting down there was surly a different class than some back-ally thugs Arkyn was used to from Byss. _Better have some back-up… And from what I've heard these Rakatans meant business, too when they protected their temples._

When he heard steps he expected Tel, but it was Cassidy. She was becoming more self-confident with every hour that passed. Arkyn was sure she had a lot of potential and not only that; she also looked beautiful, especially in this light… _Hokay, Arkyn, focus!_

"Hey, Cassy", he said, "What can I do for you?"

"Why can't I come with you?" she asked, "I need to face that Jedi as much as you do!"

"But we've been through this before, Cassidy", Arkyn said with a sigh, "We need to enter this temple from the roof and that means H.O.P.E. You have to find and eliminate his camp. That's also important."

"But you can take care of that, too. And I know more about Rakatan culture and technology than you do!"

"True, but believe me, H.O.P.E. is for trained personnel _only_." He placed his hand on his shoulder. "Cassidy, you have already proven yourself to us. Destroy this camp and then join us in the temple, all right?"

She sighed. "Yah, all right." She turned around and walked away. Arkyn could see that she was disappointed. He had no idea what this mysterious Jedi did to her, but it wasn't good.

_Hokay, head in the game. Where was I? …Right, the equipment…_

Arkyn wore a standard black imperial Jumpsuit along with Scout trooper armor. The only difference was that this set – painted black and normally reserved for local anti-terrorist special forces – exchanged the regular helmet with an imperial gunner helmet. Additional for the drop, Arkyn had a jetpack strapped to his back. As weapons, he had his lightsaber, his favoured Scout trooper Hold-Out blaster pistol and a DLT-20A blaster rifle with an under-barrel MGL-1 grenade launcher.

He went over his equipment for the last time, making sure everything was in order.

…_looks like I'm ready to go…_

* * *

Hyperspace – En route to Regal IV  
ISS _Rapid Raptor_ – H.O.P.E.-Installation Port  
Same Time

Not only Arkyn was doing a last check on his equipment, Tel was doing the same:

Tel wore the same armor and equipment, however, he had chosen slightly different weapons: Of there was his lightsaber and SoroSuub Renegade pistol, but for extra firepower he had chosen the backpack-fed T-21 repeating blaster.

_Everything's set and ready to go. Enjoy these hours, Jed__i, for it will be your last…_

A voice rang through the corridors. "All personnel prepare for hyperspace exit in five minutes. I repeat: Ship is leaving hyperspace in five minutes. Prepare."

_Hokay, hours are__ over, only minutes left…_

* * *

C'tau III – Dolkar Sector  
Cardan V-class station – Quarters  
Rebel Occupation – 35.5 hours

Marcal Donar and his guests had sat down around a table. This Kaler Raum had showed him a list of item he and the commandos needed. So far it was nothing he couldn't do. _Worker jumpsuits, toolboxes… I'll talk to Henrig, he can get these things…_

"No problem", he said, looking up from the datapad.

Sure it might be dangerous, but on the other hand, who would notice him. Things like that were given to the workers every day. And the Rebels had better things to worry about at the moment.

"But what are you planning to do?" he asked.

"Depends on what the Rebels are planning", Raum said. He stood up and went to the computer console. After he had called up some lists, he continued. "It seems like the Rebels are shifting the working crews. Before the attack, the shipyards were constructing a new Battle Squadron for the Sector Fleet with seventeen ships. But now the complete working force is concentrated on only ten of these ships."

"What ships?" Donar asked.

"Let me see… _Last Redemption_, _Far Encounter_, _165/34_… Any ideas?"

Donar thought for a moment and tried to recall the reports he had read in the last few days. _Hmm… _Last Redemption_ is the TSD, almost finished… The others? _165_-whatever, sounds like a corvette, three were planned for this Squadron, all are finished, too except for the hyperdrive…_

"I think they are trying to complete as many ships as possible", Donar finally said. "They can't hold this position forever, so they grab what they can."

"Make sense to me", Fouron commented.

"But they can't get them out", Raum said, "They know that the fleet will blockade any route outside, so they have to jump all at once…" _All at once… Hmm, it's crazy but maybe it'll work…_

"All right everyone", Raum announced, "We have a mission!"

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector  
Imperial Palace – Moff's office  
Rebel Occupation – 35 hours

"I can only repeat myself, Commodore" Moff Liron Gar said to the small hologram in front of him, "Do not engage the Rebels!"

Admiral Glermin was not suited for fleet command and Vice-Admiral Gordon was out on a mission to Reltek, so the acting fleet commander was the most experienced Commodore, Commodore Feriot, commander of the 2nd Force Superiority. His and other fleets had taken position outside the C'tau-System and blocked any hyperspace route out of there.

"I don't get this! We don't tolerate _any_ terrorism! Why don't we just blast them away?"

Liron Gar sighed. It was so difficult to work with only incompetent fools beneath him. Why can't they understand these Rebels? "Commodore, the situation is very simple. The Rebels don't wish us any harm. As long as we don't provoke them, they'll leave us and this sector alone and _that_ is everything we want. Ever since these people from the Core showed up, they caused nothing but trouble. We will leave this situation to itself and then, everything will be as peaceful as it was before."

Commodore Feriot scratched the back of his head. "I don't know, sir. Somehow this theory is… flawed."

"Commodore, you can't understand this when you don't look at the bigger picture", the Moff tried to explain again, "But the only thing important for you right now is: Hold your position and _do not_ engage the Rebels. And that is an order! Understood?"

Feriot sighed. "Yes, sir. Understood."

"Be assured, Commodore. Once the Inquisitor has returned he and I will have a talk and I will make sure he won't bother us again."

**End of Chapter 20**

**

* * *

Author's notes:**

-The Iron Knights first appeared in _Star Wars Missions 14: The Monsters of Dweem_. Since they were not part of the order, it makes sense for them to have survived until now.

-The H.O.P.E.-System is from the story _The Drop_ in _Clone Wars Adventures 6_. A pretty nice system but the Imperials now use jetpacks instead of parachutes. This is a forced entry, not a silent infiltration.

-The Planet of Necha'a is new. It's home to a large technical university for engineers. Practically the best place to study.

-The C'tau-III-shipyards may be the largest docks in the sector, but the sector fleet is stationed elsewhere (Cyphar and Telemita). That explains why there were hardly any imperial ships present and why now all hyperspace routes are blocked.

-The Moff's logic is simple: If he doesn't provoke the Rebels (e.g. mass arrests, raids, etc.), they'll leave his sector alone and strike _elsewhere _(read: Not his sector). If he _does_ provoke them, they'll retaliate and disturb the peace he has created _here_. This logic might be right; however it is unsuitable for an Imperial Moff.

-This chapter was shorter than the last ones, but it is a transition for the last act. The _next chapter_ will hopefully be up soon.

-JCE1985.


	24. Chapter 21

**Cha****pter 21 – Getting Closer**

Regal-System – Dolkar Sector  
Regal IV – Low Orbit  
A few hours after the Battle of Marol

As close to the planet as it was physically possible, a hyperspace window opened and a ship came back to realspace. Its velocity was already high and above all security standards and the large and powerful Damorian engines were still at full thrust. The distance between the hyperspace exit and the planet was passed within minutes.

Heading nose-forward to the planet the ship – a _Tartan_-class cruiser – would certainly face destruction if it should proceed on that course. But the _Rapid Raptor_ was far from being inoperative. Axial thrusters sprung to life and the ship started a light parable.

The atmosphere was entered. Only the upper layers and far from any collision danger, but still largely visible to any one who was watching this event. The belly of the cruiser started to glow. First only in a slight orange, but soon the whole ship was engulfed in a maelstrom of ionized plasma and the parable was still not completely taken.

It seemed like the ship broke up: Two smaller plasma-covered shells separated from the main body, soon followed by a third one. But apparently that had been all. Like an ancient balloon that has tossed away ballast, the ship started to rise again. The atmosphere was left behind and with it, the air, the heat and the cosmic illumination. Once again, it was only a grey and black covered piece of metal floating in a geosynchronous orbit around the planet, only illuminated by its own power.

* * *

Regal IV – Dolkar Sector  
ISS _Rapid Raptor_ – Bridge  
A few minutes ago

The ship was shaking and the main view port was covered by a stream of plasma. The bridge was dipped into deep orange, a constant kaleidoscope of deadly energy. Only meters away from this cosmic vortex, Captain Houser – and the rest of the bridge crew – could already feel the heat. And they could hear the ship's protests. The _Rapid Raptor_ was a fast response patrol ship. Manoeuvres like that pulled her structure to a dangerous limit.

"We're closing in to the first drop point!" the navigator reported. The plasma was rendering all sensors ineffective, so they had to follow a pre-calculated course in the hope not to get anything wrong.

"Activate launch sequence!" Captain Houser ordered.

"Preparing…" the drop-coordinator responded. "Pods one and two away!"

A small explosion caused some cables and plates fall down into the crew pit, followed by a high-pressure stream of gaseous coolant. Damage control teams immediately jumped in and tried to fix it.

"How long till the second point?" The Captain asked.

"Fifteen seconds, Sir!"

Houser activated the intercom. "Shuttle bay, bridge. Prepare to launch!"

"Countdown…running…ready…" was the static-filled reply.

"Shuttle away, Captain!" came from the drop-coordinator. "We're finished."

"Good", Houser said. "Helmsman, take us out of here."

"Yes, sir. Beginning ascension!"

Houser leaned back in the captain's chair and took a deep breath. _So far, so good. Now it's up to them._

* * *

Regal IV – Dolkar Sector  
Upper atmosphere – and lower  
A few minutes later

War has always let to the development of new technologies: Gravity-well projectors, advanced composite turbolaser, micro-hyperdrives and other things.

This technology had been a development of the Clone Wars. The Republic and its Clone Army had fought against a vast superior number of enemies and agitators ignited conflicts on numerous worlds, creating bushfires that had to be taken out. Since the Republic didn't have the troop strength to fight on all these fronts, they had to develop another tactic: Smaller units, but highly trained and specialized, would enter the enemy's stronghold and take out or sabotage key elements so that no or only a small number of regular troops would be required in the end.

H.O.P.E. was a technique developed for this case. One-man escape pods would be launched from a carrier in orbit around the planet. After entering the atmosphere, these pods would split up unto halves and release the trooper inside who would reach the ground via parachute.

Now that the Empire had the superior numbers and could deploy troops anywhere in any strength such a system seemed to be outdated. But that wasn't the case. Rebels could always appear out of nowhere and lock themselves in with some hostages and/or valuable goods and technology. A fast response was crucial, especially since the Rebels favoured a hit-and-run tactic and usually didn't bother about the lives of innocent bystanders.

Arkyn spread out his arms as he got closer to the ground. Regal IV was not a friendly world. Most of its surface was covered by grey and brown rocks. Below him was such a brown spot of Regal IV. His HUD had already identified the old Rakatan structures and among them, the Temple of the One, the temple he and Tel wanted to enter.

_H.O.P.E._

_**H**__igh __**O**__rbit __**P**__recision __**E**__ntry_

His view drifted to Tel, who was falling next to him and Tel responded with a thumbs-up.

_Hokay, let's hope we real make a _precision_ entry!_ He took the DLT-20a from his backpack and loaded a grenade into the MGL-1 under-barrel mounted launcher. He adjusted his position and then he concentrated. He knew the position he wanted to his. He had seen the archaeological holos of the temple. _Right there, upper left corner, second terrace…_ He didn't need the rifle's scope – not now. It was not a question of skill but a question of the force. He closed his eyes… and fired.

The grenade was away – magnetic acceleration and no recoil. Arkyn opened his eyes and saw the white smoke trail of the grenade descending towards the temple, but he didn't care. Instinctively he loaded another grenade, closed his eyes and fired.

And another one.

And another one.

A light started to blink inside his helmet. Arkyn stopped firing, turned him self into and upright position and ignited the Jetpack. Tel did the same.

The temple got closer – and larger. _Hey, it didn't look that large on the holos_. But it didn't matter. They found their target: A small black hole in one of the outer walls. Every shot had hit the same spot. Millennia-aged smooth stone was molten. The walls were broken.

Arkyn and Tel landed directly into the hole. The sun was in their backs as their made their first steps into the darkness. Two black-armored warriors, their rifles levelled and pointed into the unknown black void.

"Let's see how tough this Jedi really is", Tel commented, playing with the safety of his blaster.

"Be careful, Tel", Arkyn said, "Rakatan ruins always have a good defense mechanism!"

"C'mon Arkyn", Tel said confidently, "What could these alien come up with, hm? Besides, they're extinct!"

A sound went through the darkness. If it was heard on another world, nobody would pay attention to it: It was the sound of mechanical legs moving forward. But the sound got closer and there were more of them: Several dozens of ancient war machines, four-legged mechanical fighters with cylindrical or humanoid bodies emerged from the darkness and closed in to the warriors. Their weapons were glowing with energy, ready to be released. Their red eyes were staring at their enemies, focused and determined.

"Yeah", Arkyn said, "Really extinct."

* * *

C'tau III – Dolkar Sector  
Type-II Orbital shipyard – ISS _Last Redemption_  
Rebel occupation: 52 hours

Inside the guts of the _Tector_-Star Destroyer there was still a lot of work to do; especially on the hyperdrive. Fouron was a scout and a sniper, but not a technician. Therefore hiding undercover as one was difficult. So far he had evaded larger troubles by just carrying tools and cables around and doing non-important stuff. The mission's leader, Kaler Raum, was basically doing the same, except that he always carried his portable computer around and installed hidden sub-routines on the mainframe. He hadn't heard much of Sixtee's activities, but that would meant he had styed out of trouble, too.

The Rebels kept a keen eye on their subjugated worker force, but most of them were no engineers either. So when Fouron was asked what he was doing, he just blurted out some technical words he didn't even understand himself and the guards just let him go.

The current problem he was witnessing was named Dukarz, a six-legged reptilian Sludir Rebel soldier. He was the most brutish among the guards, constantly bulling the other workers around.

"Hey, you" he said and grabbed one of the female workers.

Fouron knew her: Amay Hothren, a leading hyperdrive engineer and very self-confident no-nonsense woman. He was not surprised about her answer when she tried to break free. "Leave me alone, you jerk!"

Unfortunately for her the two-meters-tall alien was stronger. He grabbed her with both arms and brought her face close to his. "We liberated you, female", he hissed, "You should be grateful…" He bared his teeth. "Very grateful"

Amay's face showed disgust and hate and Fouron could see that she was about to do something very stupid. _Time to step in…_

"Hey, Amay, there you are", he said like he was an old colleague, "I need some help calibrating these plasma-conducts in the second flux-chamber." He ignored Dukarz' baffled looked and shoved him away, releasing Amay from his grip. Pushing her a few steps away he place himself between he alien and the engineer. Dukarz, not being the quickest thinker around, realized what happened and was about to pull his force-pike, when Fouron once again surprised him: He raised a finger and spoke to him like a naughty child. "Listen, buddy. I know you had other plans, but you aren't on an Oraxian slave market here. We have our jobs to do and if that doesn't fit with your thoughts, you can send a complaint to your superior officer. Did I make myself clear?"

Without waiting for an answer he turned around and walked away with Amay. In his thoughts, he padded himself on the shoulder. _Dumb alien. The direct approach is always the best one._

A few minutes later, he and Amay were crawling through an access tube to the second flux-chamber (And Fouron was really surprised that even _existed_!). "Thanks for the rescue, by the way", she said.

"Ah, no problem" Fouron replied, "It was nothing."

"If you say so" Amay said, "Am I right that you're not from here?"

_Uh-oh…_ "What makes you think so?"

"I worked my way up by fighting and working hard and I got the respect I deserve", she explained, "All workers in my team know it's not a good idea to call me by my first name. Besides, everybody here knows that there are no plasma-conducts in any of the flux-chambers."

Fouron grinned sheepishly and rubbed the backed of his head. "Well, you could say I'm a last-minute addition. By the way, starting a fight with someone like Dukarz isn't a good idea either."

She looked down. "I know. But that dumb freak had it coming. I know they hold our families hostage, but… I just felt like punching his arrogant face!"

"I know how you feel" Fouron replied and lowered his voice. "Maybe there is something we can do…"

* * *

C'tau III – Dolkar Sector  
RS _Oceanborn_ – Bridge  
Rebel Occupation: 97 hours

"Admiral Tixel, the reports just came in!" The ensign had just entered the bridge of the flagship and handed the datapad over to the Admiral. "All ships' hyperdrive systems have been completed. We are ready."

"Good", the rough-voiced Mon-Calamari Admiral said, "We're pushing our luck already. It's about time."

"Why are you worrying, Admiral?" Tailamur, the Steanx council triumvir asked. "With the baradium-bombs in place they don't even think of attacking."

"Council triumvir", Tixel replied, "You know as well as I do that this is only a bluff. The baradium was intercepted. Why they haven't attacked until now is beyond me, especially with the 2nd Force Superiority sitting at the system's borders. Either we are lucky or the Moff is more stupid than we thought. In both cases we shouldn't stay longer than we have to!" He turned to the bridge crew: "Signal all ships and our soldiers: We're leaving!"

Within seconds, a shipyard-wide alert was issued. All workers were assembled at preassigned areas and confined. Rebel starships experts manned the bridges of the newly-finished ships and prepared to leave. Often, these forces consisted only of five to six men, the largest force being twenty onboard the _Last Redemption_. The occupation soldiers returned to the capital ships via their shuttles.

The Star Destroyer was also the ship leading the exodus. The Rebels had managed to complete eleven of the seventeen scheduled ships of the new Battle Squadron, including the _Last Redemption_. The last six ships had been at an early construction stage and in some cases were just floating skeletons. These ships had been carefully dismantled over the last few days by Rebel soldiers. The finished ships were escorted by five smaller ships, while the rest of the Rebels formed the back of the fleet. The maintenance carrier _Great Wide Open_ was there, too. It was the only imperial ship that had survived the initial attack, but now it was also only manned by a few men.

* * *

C'tau III – Dolkar Sector  
ISS _Last Redemption_ – Corridor behind the bridge  
A few minutes after the departure

Kaler Raum looked at the screen of his portable computer. The security camera feed showed him the bridge. Fouron and Sixtee took a last look and then nodded. It was time. Their armor was still hidden somewhere on the shipyards so all they had was robust, but not blaster-resistant worker jumpsuits. Not good for a long shoot-out, so they had to be fast.

Since the ship wasn't official out of the dry dock yet, maintenance-specific priority codes still worked, which gave certain technicians almost unlimited access. Raum used one of these codes on the console next to the door.

The door opened and the three men stormed the bridge. The acting Rebel captain turned around from his chair and was promptly blasted by Sixtee with a heavy shot from his DLT-19 across the bridge. He then switched to autofire and unleashed an endless salvo of blaster energy into one of the bridge pits. Fouron aimed quick but carefully and took out a female officer, before he tossed a flash detonator into the other bridge pit. Raum fired three salvos with his SE-14r blaster pistol and took out the remaining Rebels outside the pits. After he saw the bright light from the detonator, he flanked this pit with Fouron and eliminated the remaining Rebels. The whole operation didn't even last thirty seconds.

Fouron and Sixtee dragged some bodies away, while Raum signalled the rest of his team: Marcal Donar, Amay Hothren and six other valiant and loyal technicians of the shipyards who had volunteered to come. Some were disgusted and nearly puked when they saw the massacre on the bridge, but they all managed to get a hold of themselves.

"Activate the gun stations and bring up a tactical display" Raum ordered and pointed towards a Nebulon-B Frigate that flew slightly ahead of the Star Destroyer. "What's that ship?"

"The _Far Encouter_, Agent Raum", Marcal replied.

"Good. That's our first target. Power up the main batteries!"

"We're firing on our own ships?" Amay wanted to know.

"Better that than leaving them in Rebel hands." Raum explained and looked at the tactical display. "Batteries one to four concentrate on the _Far Encounter_'s main engines. Batteries five to eight target the Rebel _Carrack_ on starboard. Set our trench cannons on autofire, but have ten of them concentrated on one target each."

Marcal typed a few commands on the keyboard and said. "All done, Sir. Should I open fire?"

"No. Put in a twenty-second-countdown and also tell the computer to do a one-eighty turn after the first salvo."

"Finished", he said after a few moments.

"Good", Raum said and shouted: "Attention everybody, we're going to the auxiliary bridge!"

The civilians left the bridge as fast as they could, together with Sixtee. Fouron stayed behind with Raum.

"We didn't blast the bridge _that_ much, Sir", Fouron commented, "So why are we leaving?"

Raum walked over to console where Marcal had just been. "Because once the Rebels realise what's going on, they'll concentrate all fire on us. And with no damage control teams or even a crew, the main bridge won't be the safest place." He pressed the final button and the computer started counting backwards form twenty. "Let's go!"

* * *

C'tau III – Dolkar Sector  
Space – Outside ISS _Last Redemption_  
Twenty seconds later

On each side of the superstructure of the mighty _Tector_-class Star Destroyer, four quad-barrelled heavy turbolaser batteries silently moved into position. Automated control checks with the ship's sensors delayed the shot for a moment that didn't even last a second.

Then, hell broke lose.

The _Far Encounter_, without completed shield generators, was hit in the engine block by sixteen thick green laser bolts. The engine section of the Nebulon-B was vaporised within an instant. The front section, as well as the remnants of the long neck, drifted forwards, ripped open by several secondary explosion.

The _Carrack_-class Cruiser on the other side of the ship had a faster death: This class was known for its exposed reactor bulge and the relatively thin hull armor in that area. And that spot was targeted by the other half of the heavy batteries. The Cruiser detonated in a spherical light ball and left only a flimsy blue ionisation shockwave.

At the same time these two ships were destroyed, the other deadly weaponry of the Star Destroyer sprung to life, too. Dozens of light and medium turbolaser stations located all over the trench and superstructure released their mighty power. A Rebel _Marauder_, old and with shields beyond maintenance, was shredded within seconds. Soon, a Corellian Gunship followed, exploding into two halves, one ramming the _165/34_, a captured Corvette.

While all this happened, the giant behemoth began to turn. Slowly and elegant, in all the time it took to turn such a mass around, the Star Destroyer moved. The message was clear: Here I am, here I stand. If you want to pass, you'll have to get past me.

But the path was blocked. The shipyards of C'tau III were located at point of equal gravity forces between planet and moon, so hyperspace travel was impossible inside and around the complex. The _Last Redemption_ blockaded the path. All other ships were lined up behind her, in one line from her to the shipyards. Her stance was exclamation of willpower against fear and terrorism.

And the Rebels gladly replied: Before the _Last Redemption_ had even completed a third of her turn, the first shots impacted on her shields, courtesy of the _Oceanborn_, _Feathermoon_ and _Waverider_, the most forwards Mon Calamari Cruisers.

The Battle of C'tau III had begun.

* * *

Regal IV – Dolkar Sector  
Rakatan Valley – Rebel Camp  
A few hours after the Battle of Marol

Cassidy watched the two Jedi walk around the ships. She remembered them: Nieron and Belran Ka'tas, a Zabrak and a Bothan. Not the best of her former clan, but some of the meanest bullies she had ever known. Cassidy had masked her and the commando's presence in the force and she knew that these two were too easy-going to suspect an attack.

Two of Commander Jex' commandos had joined them on this mission and since they wouldn't be of much help against this mysterious Jedi, they were now with her: IC-905/55 'Fiver' and IC-888/20, 'Howler'.

_Time for some payback!_

The three of them got up from the ground and walked onto the hill where they just had hidden behind, but they were still roughly one-hundred meters away. Nieron spotted them and seemed to be curious who they were. Cassidy still hadn't removed the masking and with commandos in black armor and wearing a hood herself, Nieron was clueless.

Howler brought up his Merr-Sonn 'Cip-Quad' Reciprocating quad blaster cannon from his back and fired. The blast flew over Nieron's head, who instinctively ducked, and hit one of the X-Wings. The starfighter detonated in the middle and the shockwave sent the young Jedi-wannabe to the ground.

Belran had felt the trouble and came around from the other side. The Bothan had his blue lightsaber ignited and stormed towards the attackers, Fiver being the closest to him. With the Jedi still away, the soldier fired his Merr-Sonn Z-6 Rotary Blaster Cannon. Dodging one blaster bolt is no problem for a Jedi. Deflecting another one – no problems either. But what about _hundreds_ of bolts? No chance.

"Belran!" Nieron shouted as he saw how his friend was slaughtered. His lightsaber flew to his hands and the blue blade sprung to life. He run forward, ready to avenge his friend, filled with anger.

The two commandos turned around and were ready to fire, but Cassidy waved her hands and signalled them to stop. _This is my turn!_

Cassidy made two steps forward and brought her backhand-held lightsaber up to block Nieron's first attack. His second strike came from the left on the height of her shoulders. She ducked and started a counter attack, but Nieron saw it and quickly evaded the blade by turning to the left.

"Who are you?" he shouted as he swung his lightsaber around again. "Who are you, traitor of the force?"

Cassidy smiled. A thought came to her head. _Sure, why not…_

She took the initiative. With several wide and strong strokes of her saber she pushed the Zabrak back. The final attack was so strong that he tumbled and his chest was left wide open. Cassidy took the chance and kicked him right there, sending him to the Ground. She used the few moments of pause she had and removed her hood.

To say that Nieron was _surprised_ would be an understatement. To say that he got even angrier would be more adequate.

"Farmgirl?" he asked, dumbfounded, but then: "Farmgirl, you traitor! Aaargh!"

Once again, he attacked, with even more force and wild strength. And once again, Cassidy ducked. But this time she used her agility to move herself behind Nieron with a few quick steps, bringing them back-to-back. One last thrust with her and, and her lightsaber stabbed into Nieron's left kidney with the tip of her blade coming out on his right side.

"No", she whispered softly, "It's Cassidy."

**End of Chapter 21**

**

* * *

Author's notes:**

-Another bridge chapter, bringing the main characters closer together for the final confrontation. The battle over C'tau III has already begun, but on Marol there a still a few steps to take.

-Until the next chapter, leave a review if you liked it.

-JCE1985.


	25. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22 – Final Confrontation**

Outside C'tau-System – Dolkar Sector  
ISS _Warzone_ – Bridge  
Rebel Occupation: 97.5 hours

_All Imperial Forces, this is Intelligence Operative Captain Kaler Raum, acting Ca__ptain of the Star Destroyer _Last Redemption_. We're currently engaged in combat with superior Rebel Forces at the shipyards of C'tau III and request immediate support. I repeat: All Imperial forces: The Rebels are ending their occupation and we're engaged in combat with superior Rebel forces at the C'tau III shipyards and need immediate support!_

This was the only message that Raum had gotten past the encrypted long-range HoloNet transmitters, together with a compressed data stream. Numerous people had heard it and now two of them were discussing what to do: Commodore Feriot and Line Captain Petro Salvay.

"As much as I'd love to, I can't to anything", Feriot said to the small hologram of Petro Salvay, "The orders of the Moff are very clear."

"But we have now confirmation that the baradium bombs are a bluff", Salvay replied. "Did you tell him?"

"I did", Feriot replied with a sigh, "But he doesn't care. He doesn't want any confrontation with the Rebels, no matter what happens. The orders are clear."

"Fortunately I am not bound to these orders", Salvay said, "So I'll step in."

"The numbers don't look good" Feriot said and looked at the datapad in his hand. At least five Mon Calamari Cruisers Type _MC80_ or _80a_, six other heavy cruiser types, twenty frigates and thirty smaller gunships and corvettes plus now at least eleven captured Imperial ships, frigates and corvettes, including the Great Wide Open.

"It doesn't matter", Salvay said with a firm voice. "Sometimes things just have to be done, against all odds."

"Very well. I'll contact the Moff once again and Grand Moff Hauser, too. Maybe it'll help. Good look, Captain."

"Thank you", Salvay said with a slight bow and then the hologram disappeared. Feriot watched outside the main bridge window to see Salvay's ships disappear into hyperspace. _Good luck_, Captain, he thought, _You'll need all you can get. May the Emperor smile on you…_

* * *

Regal IV – Dolkar Sector  
Rakatan Temple – Hall  
Six minutes after the droids appeared.

Arkyn jumped and fired another grenade and the ancient droid was reduced to molten slag. Instinctively he used the force and let his lightsaber fly into another droid while he dodged a salvo of red blasterfire. He came up again and pressed the barrel of his DLT-20a into the face of the next droid, pulled the trigger and made a backflip to evade the detonation. In the air he called his lighsaber back again into his left hand and landed, ready to strike another tin-can. But when he looked up he found himself suddenly surrounded by over a dozen of these ancient Rakatan war machines. The moment now lasted for him like an eternity. He acknowledged the presence of the droids, but he didn't pay much attention to them. What he did notice however was a wave of rage in the force, coming right from behind the droids.

The machines raised their arms and prepared to fire, but Arkyn was faster: He jumped, accelerated by the force, high into the air to the roof and then to a column and saw the droids being mowed down by Tel's fire.

Tel was really having the time of his life: He laughed – loud – while he kept the trigger of his T-21 repeating blaster constantly pulled, releasing an endless stream of wide-spread blaster-bolts at his enemies.

"C'mon" he shouted, "Is that all you got? Gimmie some more!"

Arkyn shook his head – but only for a brief moment. Then he aimed with his rifled, fired and destroyed another droid with a grenade and jumped once again into the battle zone. As he landed he swung his left arm and sliced a droid into halves while his right arm at the same time blasted another one.

* * *

Regal IV – Dolkar Sector  
Rakatan Temple – Main Chamber  
Same time

_They are here. That was his thought when he noticed the presence of the two intruders. The temple's systems had noticed them long before, of course, and had taken the appropriate measures, but ancient systems – although Rakatan – tend to have malfunctions. _

_But now he knew for certain: Traitors of the force – Darksiders. They had dared to enter the temple at this sacred moment, when a new civilisation of the force was about to be born. _

_They will pay!_

_Apprentice!_

"What is your wish, my master?" Laros Ben answered, who knelt down a few meters behind the mysterious Jedi.

_Go out there and destroy the infidels! This is my order._

"It shall be done, my master!" He stood up, activated his orange-bladed lightsaber and bowed down again, before he turned around and left the room.

_Yes, go and defeat them, my little puppet. These intruders seem to be good fighters, but they are weak in the force. You, on the other hand, are a strong, a shining light. And strength in the force is the only thing that matters._

_He concentrated on the Rakatan computer consoles again. Somewhere here had to be the answer – The Eye of the One._

* * *

Regal IV – Dolkar Sector  
Rakatan Temple – Main Chamber  
A few minutes later

_He was sitting in front of the old Rakatan device. Deep in his meditation, he accessed the force and the old force-powered technology. One nod here, a gentle touch there and soon, the Eye of the One, the ultimate Rakatan weapon, would be his._

_The dawn of a new age. A civilisation of the force._

_But what was this? A light prickling in his head, a slight disturbance in the force?_

_Impossible!_

_How could dare to mock him? How could they dare to come in here and disturb this sacred moment? He knew their words before they were spoken_

_The door opened and two persons came in from the dark hall: One of average size, one taller, both in black uniforms, their lightsabers ignited. The larger one tossed something towards him, but he didn't turn around to look: He knew it was the head of Laros Ben._

_How could you defeat him? He was stronger in the force than both of you combined!_

_The smaller one winced._ "Whoa!" _he said,_ "That's what the reports meant with 'advanced telepathy'." _He shook the shock off._ "But to answer your question: Strength in the force is one thing, but fighting skills are another…"

* * *

Regal IV – Dolkar Sector  
Rakatan Temple – Hall before the main chamber  
A few minutes earlier (Flashback)

Tel gave the sparkling remnants of the Rakatan droid a light kick to make sure it was really dead. After he was satisfied, he smiled. "Now that was something different, but certainly satisfying…"

"Yeah, I saw that", Arkyn added, loading a new grenade into his into his launcher. He pointed at the great door in front of them. "According to the schematics, this must be the main chamber."

"Well, then let's go", Tel said and raised his T-21, "Nothing to stop us now!"

From the darkness of the distant ceiling suddenly the light and sound of an ignited lightsaber emerged and a dark figure jumped down between the two Elites. The orange blade formed a whirlwind and the sound of scorched metal filled the air.

Arkyn was able to jump back just in time, but the barrel of his rifle was cut of. He shouted something he had picked up in one of the smuggler bars on Byss, clenched his teeth and called his lightsaber to his hand. Before his feet touched the ground again, red light formed another storm of light.

Whoever that is, he's good…, was the only thought Arkyn allowed himself whiled he parried one stroke after another with a barrier of red.

_Form III: Soresu – The Way of the Mynock_

Tel had been caught harder by the initial attack. With the first stroke the attacker had destroyed his T-21 and before he could react he was pushed into the wall – hard. The dizziness lasted only for a few moments, but that was nearly enough to push Arkyn a few dozen meters back – away the door.

As his lightsaber was activated, Tel growled and charged at his enemy. The distance was covered within seconds and there was his chance to deliver one powerful strike…

_Form V: Djem So – The Way of the Krayt Dragon_

The opponent jumped high into the air and Tel's blade only hit the air. He reached a column and jumped from there to another wall…

Arkyn watched him. He knew about the jump-attacks: A speciality of these new Jedi. He had practiced with Cassidy and she had told him about it. His eyes never left the opponent. He predicted the flight path and if he was not mistaken…

_There!_

Force Shockwave – Rapid compression and de-compression of air using telekinetic abilities.

The mysterious Jedi was caught mid-air as if he had hit something solid, and fell to the ground. Tel awaited him. Somehow he had kept track of what happened and awaited his opponent. He brought his saber down but it was deflected – barely. Now it was Arkyn's turn: With a series of twists he moved towards his enemy, but despite being almost beaten, he was still very agile – but not enough. Arkyn's saber only touched the back of the hooded figure, but as the smell of burned flesh reached Arkyn's nose, he knew the attack was not in vain.

A scream filled the air. One hand was holding desperately the back, trying to ease the pain; the other was still holding the orange lightsaber – but only lightly. His whole body jerked back, unable to comprehend so much pain. His defence was down and that was when Tel delivered the final blow, beheading Laros Ben and killing him once and for all.

* * *

Regal IV – Dolkar Sector  
Rakatan Temple – Main Chamber  
End of Flashback

_You dare to mock me? _hollered the voice inside Arkyn's head._ The force is everything. Only your strength can determine if you are worthy… worthy to call yourself a Jedi, worthy to live…_

"Less talking, more action!" Tel said and attacked. Arkyn joined him a few moments later.

Arkyn wasn't sure what to expect from him so he begun with a defensive move, which was good, because this Jedi was fast. Arkyn blocked one attack and was about to kick the legs of his opponent away when suddenly an invisible force hit him in the chest. With a heavy cough all air was pressed out of his lungs and he found himself flying through the air. He hit the wall, hard. A helmet could save lives and that was the case here: Otherwise that would have been Arkyn's end. However, he still lost his conscious for a moment and stars were filling his view.

As he looked up again, he saw Tel lying at the bottom of a pillar, groaning but alive. The mysterious hooded Jedi stood in the middle of the room. His lightsaber was deactivated, he observed his fast victory.

_I will allow you to witness this sacred moment, _he projected while he turned towards the ancient computer_, Maybe in your final moments you'll realize how insignificant you really are!_

Arkyn didn't really understand what the Jedi did, but somehow, the place went alive. Statues, blocks, runes and columns started to shake and glow and Arkyn could feel the force moving.

_A civilisation of the force – the Infinite Empire – long gone but now alive again_.

In the middle of the room a circular stone split into three parts and allowed another device from below to rise into the room.

It consisted of a small round base with three long triangles standing on it in a hundred-twenty-degree angle and each of the triangles had numerous runes and engravings. Once the device was there, the triangles flapped down to the ground and the base started to glow. Suddenly several small blue rectangles appeared in the air and formed circles in a geometrical pattern.

_It's a projector!_ came to Arkyn's mind, _A tactical display! Like the our ones in the navy, but this one is not so…imperial._

Finally, a galaxy appeared between all those circles and two stars were marked with small yellow triangles.

_Hokay_, Arkyn thought, _That's nice, but definitely no superweapon!_

The mysterious Jedi seemed to have noticed that as well. _What is that?_ he mentally screamed – Not at Arkyn, but at anyone. _Where is the Eye? Where is my sword to begin a new age?_

"It has never been here", a new voice said. A female voice. Looking up, Arkyn saw Cassidy entering the room from another, smaller door, leading to a higher arcade.

_You, Farmgirl! I'm not surprised to see you on their side. You have always been too weak to become a Jedi!_

"I'm not weak", she replied. There was no anger in her voice; she spoke with a soft, but firm tone. With grace an almost in slow-motion, she jumped down and landed on the same level as Arkyn, Tel, the Jedi and the Star Map. "In fact, I'm feeling stronger than ever before in my entire life."

_Ignorant girl! You have never been strong and you'll never be! This 'strength' is the Dark Side speaking to you mind!_

"The Dark Side?" Cassidy asked, almost as naïve as a little girl, "Who said something about the Dark Side? No, I just made a decision: A decision against fanatic warfare, against the lies of equality and justice of the Jedi, against the slaughter of innocents, but a decision for friendship, truth and my own dreams!"

The Jedi activated his blue saber. _Keep telling that to yourself, Farmgirl, but in the end, you stand alone!_

"No, she doesn't!" Arkyn said, getting up from the ground. He saw Tel doing the same, activating his lightsaber. Arkyn and Cassidy also switched on their blades and encircled their enemy.

"And in the final moment", Cassidy said, pointing her saber at the hooded person, "the last of the Jedi finds himself surrounded by his enemies, knowing that nothing can save him: No more lies, no more deceptions, no more tricks. Only the truth, and so the Jedi will fall!"

* * *

C'tau III – Dolkar Sector  
ISS _Last Redemption_ – Auxiliary bridge  
Rebel occupation: 97,6 hours

Kaler Raum almost fell when the complete room was shaken under another impact of a heavy turbolaser shot.

"How are we doing?" he wanted to know.

"Not good" Marcal Donar answered. "Heavy Batteries Two and Four are completely gone, Six, Eight and Five heavily damaged. Trench batteries complete strength reduced to forty percent and we just ran out of torpedoes…"

Another impact. The light started to flicker and several screens went black.

"…Shields are gone and our armor will soon join them, not to mention sensors, life-support, engines and everything else."

Fouron came over to Agent Raum. "Maybe this is a good opportunity to leave the ship", he whispered, "You know, run and fight another day…?"

"No!" Raum replied, "We have to stand and fight!"

Fouron shrugged. "Fine by me. I'm just saying…"

Raum pointed to the main view screen where the three Mon Calamari Cruisers and several other smaller ships were getting closer. "This mess out there is our fault! We were on these shipyards for weeks! We had the job to find the Rebel Cell! And what did we do? Look out there and you see the results!" His face turned into a grim grimace. "We have to correct our mistakes!"

A Nebulon-B2 frigate – a captured ship – moved in and fired two missiles. Raum saw them flying a long bow, leaving an orange-yellow trail in space before they impacted in the hull of the Last Redemption. Once again a tremor went throughout the ship, while molten metal was blown into space.

Then something strange happened. Another missile appeared on the screen, but this time it seemed to come from above and behind the Star Destroyer. It flew towards the frigate and detonated near the ship. But his missile was not alone: Dozens followed, all illuminating the space around the ship with their explosions, either from direct impact or near-by detonation. Soon the doomed frigate was shaken by secondary detonations coming from all over the hull, before she died in one fierce fireball.

The main screen split into halves as a message was broadcasted on all frequencies. It showed a man with short brown hair and eyes, wearing the uniform of the Imperial Navy. His rank badge consisted of one row of six yellow rectangles. His expression was strict, his look determined.

"I am Captain of the Line Petro Salvay", he said with a strong and loud voice, "Commander of the 527th Patrol Squadron, White Wheel Command, Oversector Seven and Captain of the Imperial heavy cruiser _Counterpoint_.

"By my authority of the Oversector, I am assuming command of all Imperial forces in this System and order them to fight against the terrorists who are occupying the C'tau III-shipyards.

"I also order all so-called Rebels to lay down weapons and surrender. This will be your only chance!"

_

* * *

Galactic Empire Data Bank_

_File #64835581: Jedi Rebellion of Dolkar_

_Sub-file #64835581-2048: 527__th__ Patrol Squadron (Capital Ship Composition)_

-

_-__Skirmish Line _Senth-17

_--_Class-II_ Star Frigate  
--_Class-II_ Star Frigate  
--Escort Carrier  
--Escort Carrier  
--Escort Carrier  
--_Pursuit_-Class Light Cruiser  
--_Pursuit_-Class Light Cruiser  
--_Pursuit_-Class Light Cruiser  
--_Pursuit_-Class Light Cruiser  
--_Broadside_-Class Cruiser kdb-1  
--_Broadside_-Class Cruiser kdb-1  
--_Adz_-Class Patrol Destroyer  
--_Adz_-Class Patrol Destroyer  
--_Adz_-Class Patrol Destroyer_

_-__Pursuit Line _Peth-23

_--_Tartan_-Class Patrol Cruiser  
--_Tartan_-Class Patrol Cruiser  
--_Tartan_-Class Patrol Cruiser  
--_Adz_-Class Patrol Destroyer  
--_Adz_-Class Patrol Destroyer  
--_Adz_-Class Patrol Destroyer  
--_Adz_-Class Patrol Destroyer  
--_Pursuit_-Class Light Cruiser  
--_Pursuit_-Class Light Cruiser_

_-__Recon Line _Resh-4

_--_Tartan_-Class Patrol Cruiser  
--_Tartan_-Class Patrol Cruiser  
--_Pursuit_-Class Light Cruiser  
--_Pursuit_-Class Light Cruiser_

_-__Recon Line _Resh-22c_ [Flag Line]_

_--_Vindicator_-Class Heavy Cruiser [Flagship]  
--Immobilizer 418 Cruiser  
--Imperial Patrol Frigate  
--Imperial Patrol Frigate_

_-_

_-End of File_

* * *

Everybody on the bridge of the _Last Redemption_ was surprised. They didn't expect reinforcements – At least not under Moff Gar. But these ships came from the Oversector – Grand Moff Hauser's command. Fouron was the first to say something: "Now that's a strong introduction."

"And he deserves a strong answer", Raum said, running to the com-station. "Attention Captain Salvay, this is Intelligence Operative Captain Kaler Raum, acting Captain of the Star Destroyer _Last Redemption_. We are at your command!"

* * *

C'tau III – Dolkar Sector  
ISS _Counterpoint_ – Bridge  
A few moments later

"Sir", the com-officer said, "Star Destroyer _Last Redemption_ has been confirmed as friendly unit."

A shaking went through the ship. "Interdictor cruiser _Authority_ reports: Gravity well projectors online!" Another crew member reported.

"Good" Captain Salvay said, "What about the Rebels?"

"Changing formation. Incoming call, sir."

A demon-like face appeared in the holo-projector. His wrinkled skin and bared fangs made him look like a creature from the Chaos of the Netherworld, and intimidating creature. But Salvay didn't move a muscle when he appeared.

"Pitiful small human", his voice thundered, "Do you have any idea who you are dealing with? I am council triumvir Tailamur and I will personally tear the flesh of your bones. How dare you to confront us? You'll all die, slowly and I'll enjoy…"

"I don't know who you are and I don't give a damn!" Salvay shouted, "But it will be my pleasure to reduce you to the space dust you had been before some sick force decided to make you something that has the guts to claim sentience!" He turned around. "Lieutenant Telvin! Close that channel I don't want to see that animal face on my bridge again ever again!"

Before Tailamur's scream of anger could be heard, the hologram vanished into thin air.

"Well", Telvin said, "This'll be an interesting battle."

* * *

C'tau III – Dolkar Sector  
ISS _Last Redemption_ - Auxiliary bridge

Same Time

"Wow", Fouron commented, "So now we all have to sit here and wait 'til the battle's over, right?"

"Don't get cocky, Fouron", Sixtee said from his station, "As much as it pains me to admit it, this whatever-it-is-thing is right."

"Unfortunately, yes", Raum added as TIEs swarmed over the main screen past the Star Destroyer and towards the Rebel ships. Several smaller Cruisers took a defensive position around the _Last Redemption_. "We may have better numbers now, but Captain Salvay has only three heavy hitters. So this battle is far from over or being won!"

Fouron sighed. "You had to spoil the moment."

* * *

C'tau III – Dolkar Sector  
RS _Oceanborn_ – Bridge  
Same Time

Tailamur was furious. _How could this tiny human dare to talk to him like this? He was a council triumvir! His word was law!_

_But now you will pay! Look at the downfall you have brought on your people!_

"Admiral Tixel!" he shouted, "Detonate the baradium bombs! Kill all hostages!"

Tixel sighed. What is the matter with him? Why does he insist on the bombs if he knows that they're bluff? He approached the angry Stenax. "Sir, council triumvir", he tried peacefully, "We have no bombs. That was only…"

_**Wham!**_

Tailamur lowered his blaster pistol as the dead body of the Mon Calamari fell to the ground under the eyes of the shocked bridge crew. He glared at every single one of them before his rage-filled voice ended the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over the room.

"I have enough with this incompetence! I am council triumvir Tailamur of the Rebel Alliance! Turn this ship around! Turn the fleet around! We will obliterate these space colonies, we will obliterate these shipyards! No one should escape!"

* * *

C'tau III – Dolkar Sector  
ISS _Counterpoint_ – Bridge  
A few moments later

"Rebel fleet is turning around", Lieutenant Telvin reported, "They're heading directly towards the colonies!"

_Good_, Captain Salvay thought, _that will buy the _Last Redemption_ more time. But we can't lose these colonies. That is no option_.

"Group Four will stay with the Star Destroyer" he ordered, "The _Authority_ will stay behind, too with Group Seven. The rest of us will intercept the fleet. And call the colonies. They have to evacuate now!"

The ships started to move. Spearheaded by the _Counterpoint_ and the two Star Frigates, the fleet flew in the gap between the array of shipyards and the colonies. They were fast, but not fast enough. Most of the Rebel fleet was still within the shipyards and therefore closer to the colonies. Also, the Rebels had their bombers – fast bombers. While most of the Empire's fighters still covered the _Last Redemption_ or swarmed between the Rebel capital ships, the path was free for the fast and deadly B-Wings.

"Reprts coming in from the colonies", Telvin said, "The Rebels have sabotaged all escape crafts. And we're counting at least twenty-three B-Wings closing in on the stations!"

"Turbolasers!" Salvay shouted, "Long range fire. A full barrage at these fighters!"

The cruiser was shaken as the mighty quad-batteries awoke and released their deadly green laser fire at the enemy. The full area was filled with a wide spread fire, forcing the B-Wings either to take the risk and fly through this deadly mace or to evade. All of them chose the first path.

"This isn't enough…" Telvin commented.

The guns ceased firing. The dust cleared from the battlefield and revealed the horrific reality: eighteen of the twenty three fighters were still on their ways, scarred but battle-ready to unleash their deadly cargo.

* * *

C'tau III – Dolkar Sector  
B-Wing _Blue One_ – Cockpit  
Same Time

He emerged from the firestorm. Granted, that barrage was a surprise, but he was still alive. A deep breath. Calm down! You're almost there…

The colonies got closer: Golan Arms Space Colony Type 3. Giant floating cylinders, filled with thousands of living beings – Men, women and children…

Were there any second thoughts? No, they deserved to die! With his thumb he stroke over the picture of his own family that he had clamped in the cockpit.

"For you, my dear…", he whispered to himself before he activated the torpedo launcher. The yellow target indicator soon turned red, showing the clear firing solution. He changed to an open channel.

"For all our loved ones!" he shouted, "For Alderaan! Vengeance!"

_Blue One_ detonated in big fireball.

* * *

C'tau III – Dolkar Sector  
ISS Counterpoint – Bridge  
Same Time

"New incoming signals!" Lieutenant Telvin shouted, "Identified: SS-_Planetaries_! _Pinooks_! 8-Qs! They're having civilian IFFs!"

"Incoming message!" the com-officer shouted.

Disturbed by static and the noise of battle, a rough male voice was heard over the speakers of the bridge: "This Air Commander Morak, _Janarian Escort Services_. We offer our lives and our guns for the Empire! Where do you want us?"

"Now, this is interesting…" Telvin commented.

This is indeed interesting, Salvay thought, Impressive what a simple call can to. To change the tide of a battle it takes nothing more than the courage of a few men…

"Tell them to form a protective grid around the two colonies. Squadrons _Alpha-5_ and _Alpha-6_ will join them. Have them take the lead." He paused for a moment, watching the tactical hologram. "Group One and Two will circle around the enemy fleet, accompanied by Three, Five and Six. Eight and Nine will join the Counterpoint in the centre!"

_I don't like using these civilians… The battlefield is a place for the military. But these colonies must survive. There is no other option."_

The imperial ships split up. Led by the two Class-II frigates, two groups started to move around the large enemy fleet. Although they had received the unexpected reinforcements, they were still heavily outgunned, but they all knew that they were the last line of defence of all these civilians. A worth way to give your life for the Empire.

* * *

C'tau III – Dolkar Sector_  
Cardan Mark V_ station – Central Command  
A few minutes earlier

The main station had been abandoned except for one remaining Rebel. Her place was here, to monitor the whole situation, until the fleet has escaped. But the more she watched the situation, the more desperate she had become. The turn of the Star Destroyer was unexpected, but at least that had explained her weird feelings about the ship she had during the last few days.

The arrival of the enemy fleet was another surprise. In the end these additional ships wouldn't make any difference in the general outcome, but she felt this commander wanted to make them pay… And they already have shown this.

And then there was this strange call a few minutes ago:

"Commander Rax?" she had asked in surprise, expecting Admiral Tixel, "Where's the Admiral?" In the next moment she scolded herself. _Stupid girl! Where would he be? There's a war out there!_

Rax hesitated for moment. "He's… not available. But that's not important. Listen. You have to turn the defence grid against the colonies!"

She couldn't believe her ears. "Against the colonies? But sir…"

"This is an order, girl!" The Mon Calamari shouted, "Coming directly from council triumvir Tailamur! Tixel already defied him and now he's dead! Do it!"

The channel went dead.

_Against the colonies…_ These words went through her head for a time that seemed like an eternity. _But why… All these people…_

Then the civilians intervened: Dozens of fighters coming from C'tau III or one of the dozens of XQ trading platforms that circled the planet. She had reached out with the force, to reach the minds of these new pilots.

She had been taught to hate all Imperials, whether civilian or military. She had been taught that they were the manifestation of evil and that there can only be peace when every single one of them would be dead.

But there wasn't any evil in them… No lust to kill, to destroy. They only wanted to… _protect_.

"What are you going to do know, Lianna?"

Lost in her thoughts she hadn't noticed the man behind her. She had noticed neither his arrival nor the fact that he was pointing a blaster at her.

Her shock was gone within seconds. "What are you doing here, father?" she asked, "And how did you get here?"

The face of the former chairman formed a soft smile. "Lianna, my dear… I grew up on this station. I know a few secret passages and…" he waved with his blaster, "… a few hidden weapon caches. But the question remains: What are you going to do? Kill all these innocents like a real Jedi?"

She noticed his sarcasm. "Shut up!" she shouted, "You don't know anything!"

"Oh, but I do", her father calmly replied, "I'm old enough to remember the Jedi Order. I was just a young office worker in these days, but I met them when they came here during the Clone Wars. And I can assure you…", he pointed at the screens showing the Rebel fleet, "… The Jedi I knew would have never worked together with scum like that!"

"But the Empire…" Lianna begun

"The Empire isn't better, I know. But does this make _them_ the good guys? Is every scumbag who hates the Empire for his own devious reason the new hero of this glorified Rebellion? Tell me, Lianna, is this the right path of a _Jedi_?"

_Why can't he shut up? This doesn't make any sense!_

_Oh, it does. But the truth is often more painful than you want to admit!_

_Shut up! I'm a Jedi, I'm a Rebel! I have to follow my orders?_

_But whose orders? The will of the Force? The code of the Jedi? Or the words of an enraged thug?_

_This is the right path! Against the Empire there is no grey zone, no alternative route!_

_Not against the Empire, but within the Rebellion?_

_Enough! When I boarded this station I made a decision! I have to live with it!_

"I don't know, father" Lianna said with a weak voice, but as she continued, this voice got stronger, "But I have made my decision. And although I might betray the Jedi code or everything else I might have believed in, there is no turning back. It's either this or another age of darkness under the Empire."

She looked down. "So please, father, leave this room. Leave this station, leave me alone. Maybe one day you'll understand that this was the right path…"

"My dear Lianna", he said, "Who are you trying to convince, me or yourself? You are probably right that the Empire is not the best choice as a galactic government, but it's better than slaughtering innocents. I won't let you do this and become a monster!"

He raised his blaster and aimed at his daughter. Instinctively Lianna moved her hands towards her lightsaber.

"I am still your father and therefore I have a responsibility! And if this is the only way to convince you then so be it!"

He released the safety.

"Father", Lianna begged, knowing what was about to come, "Please, don't do this!"

"I'm sorry", he whispered. Then he pulled the trigger.

Years of training and force-enhanced reflexes sprung to life as a scream of panic and denial escaped a tear-stricken face and the deadly light of a lightsaber filled the air. The blaster bolt hit the bar of yellow light and was reflected. It flew back the way it came – almost – and hit the man in the throat, sealing his destiny. Telken Curas was dead before his body hit the ground.

"Father, _No!_" Lianna screamed. Her lightsaber's hilt hit the ground, outside, the battle dragged on.

_You have to live with it, yes. But sometimes it's better you don't…_

"What have I done?" Her voice was nothing more than a whisper as her knelt down and held her father's bodies, not believing what just had happened.

Minutes that seemed like an eternity went by. Grief and agony had filled the last spots of her mind that had been left with sanity. Now there was nothing more to loose – nothing more to gain. Her eyes fell onto the control console for the automated defences.

_Who cares about galactic domination? Who cares which side is the right one? Shall they perish in their mad conquest for glory and power!_

* * *

C'tau III – Dolkar Sector  
ISS _Counterpoint_ – Bridge  
A few moments later

"Message from the _Endless Summer_!" Lieutenant Telvin shouted, referring to the _Class-II_ frigate leading Group One. "Automated defences are back online! The _Galvan_ has already been destroyed!"

"Well that was inevitable", Salvay said, "I wonder what took them so long…"

"Sir, another message: The platforms are firing at both Imperial and Rebel ships!"

_Indeed, a very interesting battle._

* * *

C'tau III – Dolkar Sector  
Space – Outside ISS _Counterpoint_  
Moments later

A crimson red turbolaser went past the heavy cruiser from beneath and hit the _Adz_ Patrol Destroyer at the right flank. The beam went right through the little ship and annihilated the most part of its hull in a bright fireball.

Above the explosion and the drifting wreckage three X-Wings moved in. Each one fired two Torpedos directly over the _Counterpoint_'s bridge to the cruiser's left flank, where an already shieldless _Pursuit_ was. They hit the ship's right end, directly at the engines. Without the ability to manoeuvre and explosions coming out of several hull breaches, it took only one strayed turbolaser bold to destroy the ship for good.

* * *

C'tau III – Dolkar Sector  
ISS _Counterpoint_ – Bridge  
Same Time

"We lost the _Ever Dream_ and the _Lapi_!" Telvin shouted.

Salvay looked outside and saw two Mon Calamari Cruisers closing in on his ship. "Then this is where we'll make our final stand", he whispered.

**End of Chapter 22**

**

* * *

Author's notes:**

-Things are certainly heating up at both battles and at least at C'tau III it's not looking good for the Empire.

-Laros Ben is taken out with relatively ease once the Arkyn and Tel were aware of him. No surprise: They knew the tactics and how to counter them, while Laros only had his own technique. Before he could come up with a counter-strategy, he was already dead.

-The reason Cassidy got so fast to the main chamber is because she used a secret passage she had read once about at the academy's library. The reason why Arkyn and Tel didn't take the passage and instead blasted the roof of was simple. Cassidy only had sporadic memories and the existence was not confirmed.

-The _Last Redemption_ is a _Tector_-class Star Destroyer, an anti-capital-ship version of the _Imperial I_-class: Since canonical information on this class is rare, here a little rundown of my own imagination: Eight heavy quad-turbolaser batteries, numerous medium and light turbolaser batteries and torpedo banks, no starfighters and around a dozen shuttles.

-_Petro Salvay_ may only be a Line Captain and not in the position to command a Squadron, but sometimes reality and regulations don't fit.

-About Salvay's fleet: _Class-II_ Star Frigates are from _Darklighter_, _Adz_-class and Patrol frigates from _Cracken's Threat Dossier_, _Pursuit_-class from _Marvel Star Wars_ and the _Broadside_- and _Tartan_-class from _Empire at War_.

-The captured Nebulon-B2 is taken out via the _Broadside_'s 'special ability' from _Empire at War_.

-The different Groups Captain Salvay is ordering around do not correspond with the actual Line composition: They are combat-specific designations and contain three to four ships.

-Triumvir Tailamur really has lost the sense of reality. But what can you expect from a Stenax?

-The civilians fly all these nice little starfighters from _X-Wing Alliance_. Air Commander is of course not a military rank but a position as a squadron commander in the _Janarian Escort Services_.

-Lianna now has lost everything. The scene of her killing her father is a nod to _Yoda: Best Blades_, where the Jedi Master kills and old friend in a similar matter.

-The next chapter will hopefully bring a conclusion. Stay tuned.

-JCE1985.


	26. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23 – Showdown**

Regal IV – Dolkar Sector  
Rakatan Temple – Main Chamber  
Moments later

It was the silence before the storm – the moments that seem to last for an eternity, just before the fight would begin. The opponents circled each other: One blue, one green and two red sabers, three versus one, three men and one woman. No one would dare to make the first move, whether friend or ally, but it was inevitable.

The mysterious Jedi was surrounded. His movements were fast and hasty, like a circled prey, but at the same time they seem to be in slow motion and very smooth.

Tel made the decision: He leapt forward, the tip of his blade pointed at the enemy. Not even the blink of an eye later Arkyn and Cassidy joined him. And in the same time their enemy already reacted. He moved one step aside and dodged Tel's incoming saber. Arkyn began with a defensive swirling attack, but was blocked by the blue saber. Cassidy made a little jump towards the Jedi, her saber hold in a reverse grip. But as he moved aside and turned a little to block Arkyn's attack, he used the momentum of his body to slap Cassidy in the face with his outstretched left arm. Now into this turning motion he brought his right arm up and pushed Arkyn's saber away, followed by a roundhouse kick into Tel's back that sent him tumbling away. He finished his turn by bringing down his saber into Arkyn's unprotected left side, but the young man quickly blocked the incoming strike. The Jedi did the same and grabbed Arkyn's right wrist with his left hand and then slammed his head into Arkyn's face.

Cassidy was getting on her feet again, just in time to block the next attack. The Jedi was focusing completely on her, while Tel and Arkyn were still recovering. Her defence was a series of turns, twists and jumps. While her reversed handed style allowed her more powerful blows in the offensive, it also meant that her defence line was much closer to her body than any other style. Something she regretted right now.

_You knew from the beginning the Eye was not here, Farmgirl!__ And yet you didn't tell me!_

"Gah!" Cassidy spat out between her attacks, "I have always told you it was a possibility! But you never listened!"

_Silence__, traitor! I'll obliterate you!_

"Rrraaaaaaaaagh!" Tel jumped in, recovered and filled with rage. He held his saber with two hands high above his head. He came down so hard that it sent tremors through the ground. The Jedi quickly moved two steps back, avoiding Tel's saber, but that was just the moment when Arkyn and Cassidy moved in and flanked him. Just as Tel once again pshed forward, the Jedi stomped with his foot on the ground and made a force-shockwave. All three flew into the walls.

_Arrogant beings! You have n__o idea what I am capable of!_

"Maybe", Arkyn said, getting up and wiping the blood from his face. "But one thing we know for sure: We are the good guys! And that means you can't win!"

Once again they attacked. But this time, they lasted longer – for a few moments.

Cassidy dodged another attack. She wasn't able to get through, all she could was to react – not a single swung of her blade came near this Jedi. But then she saw an opening on his left side – her chance. She charged forward, but she had already gained too much forward momentum when she recognized his feint. He stretched out his leg; she tripped and fell on the ground. But she used the force to turn still in the air and land on her back and block the incoming strike.

Tel made another attack, but once again, it was blocked. It was frustrating and Tel's patience was running out. With each strike more technique was gone and more strength, hate and rage were used. Finally he had to pay the price: A last attack left his head uncovered. The next moments seemed to happen in slow motion. As the blue blade neared his face, the last remnants of intelligence kicked in and realized what was about to happen.

As Tel let out a horrible scream of pain, Arkyn made another attempt. He knew that his friend was in trouble, seeing how he held his face and the stench of burned flesh reached his nose. But right now he couldn't allow himself any distraction, if he wanted to live. Now with his two friends out of the picture, the Jedi focused his attention on him. Fortunately for Arkyn, he had focused on the second style of lightsaber combat, a very defensive form. A true master would be able to form a nearly impenetrable shield around him, making him invincible. But unfortunately, Arkyn was no master, so he had to rely on his luck.

But while he knew the basics of any other form, he had also intensified his studies in the fourth style, a form of lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat. At that was what he used at this moment to push the Jedi's saber away from him so that he could jump and bring a few meters between him and his opponent.

_This war is unjust_, hollowed the voice in his head, _It should have never been fought!_

"Care to explain?" Arkyn asked, hoping to buy a few moments.

_The Jedi have to watch over the force all the time, they are the instruments of light and order. A darkness like the Empire, like… you should have never happened. _

_  
If they had… If I had been there…_

_The destinies of all things have changed… You… All of __you should never stand here!_

"And yet, here we are!" Tel commented.

_A pure obscenity! An insult of the force! Just look at you: You are weak, you barely reach the force and your skills are limited! Someone like you belongs to the AgriCorps but not at the hilt of a saber__ or even an Order! Such fine weapons and culture are wasted on you!_

"That hurts", Tel said.

Arkyn on the other hand was just paying enough attention to the conversation to keep track of things. But his mind was working on other things. _We have to defeat him!_ He couldn't use the force to contact his friends: The Jedi was right, his mental abilities were limited and any use of them would certainly be detected by him. But then again, he didn't need to use them. Not turning away from his opponent, his eyes wandered to Cassidy. She stood left behind the Jedi, her lightsaber ready. Arkyn's eyes met with hers and that was all he needed. A slight nod, not visible for anyone else, was the answer.

_The Jedi represented – and still represent – the highest form of order that has ever existed in history! A galaxy ruled by the Jedi – a civilisation of the force – would be the ultimate goal for anyone! Because with the Jedi at the top of everything, their wisdom would reach even to the far__thest corners of the galaxy!_

"Oh right, great wisdom. Dealing with slave traders and stealing babies is surely _civilised_!"

"And what about all the other people in the galaxy?" Cassidy asked, "Those, who are not force-sensitive?"

Tel was another matter. He stood right behind the Jedi and was focused on him. His face showed a horrible black mark, still smoking, coming from his left cheek up to his left ear, which was now completely gone. Arkyn looked at him for moments that seemed to last for hours, but finally Tel moved his eyes to his left and their looks met.

_They would serve the Jedi, worship them, because their wisdom is infinite due to their connection with the force. And they should be grateful for it, because they are lost without the force. And those who feel the force are __truly blessed, divine… gods!_

"All right", Tel said, "_Now_ you are scaring me!"

_But all this is the future. This war is the present, but it should have never been fought, the order of the Jedi should have never been disrupted, because it is the way of all things to yearn for order and the ultimate destiny. Therefore you should not fight. Just lay down your weapons and accept your fat__e!_

"What, you mean go farming on some backwater planet and being forgotten?" Tel asked sarcastically.

_Insolent Weakling!_ The Jedi turned away from Arkyn and towards Tel, the lightsaber pointed at him.

Now is the chance. He's is distracted, angry… sloppy… _hopefully_. Arkyn closed his eyes and reached out with the force. He was a shining light, a beacon of the force. In front of him, there was only darkness – a diffuse black void, dangerous and consuming.

_You are tainted by the Dark Side, something you weaklings have in common: __you cannot accept your fate!_

But in the darkness, a new light appeared. It felt familiar, friendly… A deep connection of trust and friendship. Cassidy was this shining star, and with her light, the darkness was fading. What once had been an endless void was now something humanoid. But the outline was still blurred; the figure appeared golem-like – inhuman.

_But my future is pure. No room for weakness, no room for __neither darkness nor weakness. I'll purge the Dark Side and all its avatars from the face of the universe, starting with you, right here, right now!_

Finally, a third star appeared. Tel's light was strong, pulsating with strength, anger and the will to win. And with this new light, more darkness disappeared. The golem, the personification of darkness now got clear lines, the human body became visible.

_The future begins NOW!_

Now the enemy was in clear sight. No more feints, no more illusions. Connected with each other in the force, the three young fighters of the Empire jumped forward – but this time together. The Jedi saw it coming, of course, and this was his final resistance. He swung his lightsaber around his body, so fast that he created a tube of light for one short moment. Enough to block each of the advancing sabers. But no one tripped or stumbled because of this, Tel, Arkyn and Cassidy were merely stopped.

Once again the Jedi stomped on the ground, creating another shockwave, but this time his opponents were prepared: Feeling what was about to come, they jumped up – only a few centimetres above the ground and floated, letting the shockwave pass them.

In the few moments these last events lasted and as they hovered over the ground, they all saw the small opening in the Jedi's defence. But this time it was no feint. They all felt it, each one from his or her perspective – and they jumped in.

One lightsaber hit the back of the Jedi, impaling him while the blade came out of the chest again. Another lightsaber impacted in his left armpit, only to reappear from his right throat. The last one hit the right kidney and came out at the left hip.

It was a moment of victory. But no one really believed it. All of them were still filled with adrenaline, breathing heavily and still expecting the opponent's next move. But it didn't happen. Slowly, they realized that _they_ hat stabbed the Jedi with three lightsabers. _They_ had defeated him and _they_ were victorious.

One lightsaber after another was deactivated and clipped back to the belt, except for one. The blue blade of the vanished and with a metallic sound the hilt hit the ground. The body soon followed, as graceful and gentle as his fighting style.

Not a single word was spoken. Tel walked over to a wall and sat down. He was exhausted and tired and the left part of his face was a real mess of red and black flesh. Cassidy knelt down and looked at the fallen Jedi. She couldn't believe what she had done. For the first time in years, she really felt… _free_. Arkyn didn't know what to do. He just took a few steps around and tried to calm his breath. They had won, yes. But now what?

His thoughts were brought back to reality when Cassidy activated a small holopad. Barely ten centimetres tall, a small blue and white Sunesi appeared over the silver Surface. He looked at Cassidy with surprise, as if he had expected someone else.

"Who are you?" he asked with an old voice, but then he seemed to remember. "Ah, I know. You were one of the students at Marol, right? But what are you doing with my Padawan's comm-unit?"

"That's a long story, Master Aqinos", Cassidy replied. There was no hate in her words. If she wouldn't have been so exhausted, it would almost seem… casual. "But just let me tell you that he won't come back."

The old Sunesi sighed. "Ah. Ah yes. I felt it. You killed him, right? You and your new Imperial friends."

"Yes. Yes we did."

Meanwhile Arkyn had walked over to her. He was interested in this conversation, too.

"Well, that's fate. Even if I had been there, I'm not sure if I could have stopped you; if I even _wanted_ to stop you."

That surprised Cassidy. "He was your Padawan."

"I know. And believe me, I'm as surprised hearing these words from me as you are. All these years…" The eyes of the hologram seemed to drift away, into the distant past. "When I found him, he was an infant. During the Purge, during the Empire, I hid on a planet, together with my Iron Knights. One day, a freighter crashed on the planet, but when we arrived, there were no survivors… except for a small human child. He was barely born and it was a miracle that he had survived… but the force was already so strong in him. Maybe too strong."

He sighed again. These memories were filled with joy, pride, but also disappointment. "I decided to train him as my Padawan. But as he grew up, he showed more and more interests in the ancient Jedi's history and adopted a rather extreme version of their thinking. He even stopped to talk and used telepathy; he saw himself as a messiah of the force to built a new civilisation… he was out of control."

"Then why didn't you stop him, Jedi?" Arkyn asked, "You were his master and therefore he was your responsibility."

"I tried. Believe me, I really tried. But he was my Padawan and I was his Master. All his views, all his mistakes – were they my mistakes, too? I was too old and too proud to accept this. And even after all the things he did – he was more than a Padawan; he was my _son_."

There was a silence in the air. No one said a word, not even Tel, who was also watching the whole conversation, but from distance. Finally, Aqinos spoke again.

"I know Jedi shouldn't attach themselves to other people and this story has once again showed us why. I have let my feelings come in the way of my duties as Jedi and teacher. And that is what I apologise for." He bowed down. "Please forgive me."

With these words, the hologram vanished.

Cassidy dropped the hologram back on the robes of the fallen Jedi. "Sometimes words aren't enough", she said, "Sometimes things like these can only be forgiven by justice. Wherever you hide in this Galaxy, Master Aqinos, I will find you!"

While Cassidy spoke those words, Arkyn felt that Tel's eyes were pointed at him. He turned his head around and saw that Tel was sending a telepathic message to him. Not much, only a few words:

_Thus die all traitors._

Arkyn has heard these words before. It was a common phrase in the Empire – no, all over the galaxy – and was often spoken after traitors were stabbed in the back by their new or old employers. The phrase has been around for centuries, but it became almost common knowledge due its appearance in the pre-empire holofilm trilogy _Crimson Empire_.

You could never trust a traitor. Because as his loyalties had swung to your favour now, they could also swing back before you would even notice. Now Cassidy was at the spot of a traitor. She had betrayed the Jedi, her family and the Rebellion.

But that was only one half of the picture.

To truly betray something, you had to believe in it. And Cassidy never really believed. It had been a life that had been forced upon her, never her own. But she had chosen the Empire as her new life, something she truly wanted. And Arkyn knew she would not betray the Empire.

So when he heard these mental words from Tel, all he could do was shake his head. Tel acknowledged his opinion and respected it. He wouldn't do anything – in fact, he didn't care at all. But other people did. So Arkyn had to take the appropriate measures.

* * *

C'tau III – Dolkar Sector  
ISS _Counterpoint_ – Bridge  
A few moments earlier

"We lost the _Ever Dream_ and the _Lapi_!" Telvin shouted.

Salvay looked outside and saw two Mon Calamari Cruisers closing in on his ship. "Then this is where we'll make our final stand", he whispered and turned around to his crew. "Attention, everybody! Change course to the Cruiser at starboard! Start overloading the main reactor and hyperdrive banks! Accelerate to ramming speed! All hands abandon ship!"

Everyone started shouting, a controlled chaos as everybody knew what to do. Salvay was ready. He always knew that couldn't win this battle, but he knew he could make the Rebels pay. As long the Interdictor _Authority_ was still in one piece, his fleet could remain and fight. And every Rebel killed, every starfighter destroyed and every hit of the ships would be one step closer to a Dreightonic Victory.

Suddenly the cruiser the _Counterpoint_ was aimed at detonated in a huge fireball. Split into halves, the pieces drifted apart until they all disappeared into explosions, shrapnel and molten slag. The _Counterpoint_ was shaken as hundreds of small metal pieces hit the beaten hull of the heavy cruiser.

"What the…" Salvay said.

"New ships!" a bridge officer shouted, "Vector One-One-Five! Cruisers, Frigates, Corvettes and… A _Praetor_! It's the _Fragmentation_! Admiral Gordon is here!"

With the sun in their backs, dozens of imperial ships came out of hyperspace above the shipyards of C'tau III. Led by an enormous Star Battlecruiser, flying in a wedge formation, these ships shot into the heart of the enemy, their weapons firing, never seeming to stop. Several smaller ships were destroyed in an instant, and soon a second Calamari Cruiser felt prey to their relentless and powerful charge.

"Open a channel! And withdraw my last orders!" Salvay shouted. "Now that Gordon and the 89th Force Superiority is here we might actually win."

"Or what is left of us, to be precise", the hologram of Vice-Admiral Gordon said, "The Rebels had a pretty nasty trap prepared at Reltek. Thank the Force Inquisitor Redge came in time to warn us. And when we heard what happened we rushed here as fast as we could."

"Nasty trap is a pleasant way to describe it", Lieutenant Telvin said as he approached the Captain, "From our sensors we can tell that the Admiral's Force is at only sixty-five percent of full battle strength and several ships are heavily damaged. Star Destroyer _The_ _Planetarian_ is missing."

"But fortunately, we are not alone", Gordon said.

"New ships", Telvin said, looking at the tactical hologram, "Vector Two-Two-Zero and Three-Five-Seven. Flagships identified as Star Destroyer _Warzone_ of the 2nd Force Superiority and Dreadnaught _Milra Gorn_ of the remnants of the 56th Force Escort."

The rest of the battle could only be described with one word: slaughter. With both firepower, command strength and numbers on the imperial side and the Rebels boxed in between the shipyards, Interdictors and natural gravity fields, there was no way of escaping. But there was no way of giving up, either. Under the ill-fated command of the fanatic council triumvir Tailamur, no request for surrender was issued. And the Imperials under the command of Vice-Admiral Gordon, would not accept any. Having just escaped a terrible trap and lost over a third of his command only to find his fleet leashed under Moff Gar, he was in no mood for a fast and peaceful solution. Today, the Rebels would pay – pay with blood.

* * *

Regal IV – Dolkar Sector  
Rakatan Temple – Main Entrance  
A few days after the Battle of C'tau III

Arkyn had won his first major battle. It had been a full victory for the Empire, but also for him. When he had been on his way to Cyphar, he had been unsure, not knowing how he would react. But this whole campaign had showed him, what he was capable of and what he still had to learn. But one thing he knew for sure: He had chosen the right path, to protect the Empire and its Citizens.

Arkyn looked at the small camp at the base of the temple. Troops form the _Rapid Raptor_ had arrived soon after the defeat of the Jedi and secured the area – not that there was anything left except for a few wild animals. Experts from the Museum of Pre-Republic History of Cyphar were soon scheduled to arrive and he, Tel and Cassidy would be on that shuttle when it would return to Cyphar later on.

The Eye of the One was indeed not here at Regal IV, but from what he had heard, it was too dangerous to be left out there. They had to find it, before the Rebels would.

The Empire had been victorious at Regal IV and it had been victorious at C'tau III. The Rebellion was defeated, but not completely – once again. Too many question were still left unanswered, too many ships and persons unaccounted for.

Cassidy's future was still not safe either. Some people just saw her as a tool: A naïve girl manipulated and tricked into betraying her friends and loyalties – but Arkyn saw more in her. And after everything she had done for them, everything she had been through, she deserved more. He already had contacted some friends on Dromund Kaas and made some arrangements. He hadn't told Cassidy about any of this, but he would – when the time had come – in the future.

**End of Chapter 23**

**

* * *

Author's notes:**

-In the final fight against the Jedi, the three heroes unknowingly used a force technique called Force Meld. It allows participating force-users to link up their minds and coordinate their actions.

-Since the term 'Phyrric victory' cannot exist within the _Star Wars_ universe, I came up with 'Dreightonic victory', which basically means the same, only it came from the Battle of Dreighton during the Clone Wars.

-The story is almost completed, only the epilogues are left. If you enjoyed it, feel free to leave a review. Thanks.

-JCE1985.


	27. Epilogues

**Epilogues**

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector  
Some kilometres away of a small village  
Afternoon

It had been a pleasant day for Arkyn and Cassidy. After the things had been sorted out at Regal IV and C'tau III and after they had returned to Cyphar, Arkyn had taken the next best opportunity to spend some time with his new friend relax. They had taken a shuttle to the surface and then a speeder. They had driven outside the town, until cities became villages, until villages became single houses, until they were completely alone in the nature.

Now completely cut off from anything – or anyone – who could disturb them, they once again had a chance to be themselves, just completely normal teenagers. They had found a single tree in a large open grass field and chose it for their picnic. It had been a wonderful time: Talking, playing and eating, lost from all past and current burdens.

Now they were just lying in each other's arms, watching the sun touching the distant mountains. A peaceful moment. But just as this day was coming to an end, so was the reality catching up to even this remote place.

Cassidy let out a silent sigh, barely audible, but Arkyn sensed it in the force, like a wave that hit the beach.

"What will happen to me now?" she asked.

A good question. Some people had plans, plans that would mean a very soon end for her. But Arkyn wasn't one of those people – he had his own plans.

"You'll go to Dromund Kaas and train with the Prophets. You'll become a servant of the Empire."

Another sigh. "Another training camp", she said, "Why can't I live my own dreams?"

"Don't worry about that", Arkyn reassured her, "You will."

"Really?"

"Yes. The training will be hard, but you can do it. You are strong. And don't give up on your dreams: Show your interest and show your strengths. They'll recognize a talent when they'll see one. Believe me. The Prophets are not Jedi."

"If you say so." She was unsure, Arkyn could feel it. But that was only natural. She was about to enter a complete new life and she hardly had a clue what would await her. But Arkyn had contacted a few friends on Dromund Kaas and made sure she wouldn't be completely alone.

Moments of silence: Just two souls watching the sunset and a kaleidoscope of red colours filling the sky.

"Just out of interest", Cassidy begun, wanting to change the topic, "Where's your friend, Tel? I haven't seen him the past few days."

"He's… busy."

* * *

C'tau III – Dolkar Sector  
Alrond City – Streets  
Night

The sky was black, thick clouds blocking every star. Heavy rain fell down, soaking her clothes as she continued to run. It was a busy night in Alrond City, not different from any other night in this city. The fact that a few days ago a big battle just happened over this planet didn't seem to disturb the everyday life at all.

She ran. That was all she could do – that was all she had left. A traitor to the Empire, the Rebellion, the Jedi and even her family, she had no place left. And yet she continued to run: She didn't want to die.

She pushed herself through the crowds, not bothering who she bumped into or who she had to push away. She didn't have to turn her head around, either. She knew that the Empire's hunter was directly behind her. She felt it through the force.

Hoping to evade him another time, she ran into another back alley – only to face a dead end. She couldn't believe it. How come that she didn't sense it? Did this hunter manipulate her mind – or did the force simply abandon her, too? Most likely the latter.

She could feel the hunter walking into the street. He was tall and wore black clothes. The lightsaber hung on his belt while a blaster pistol was in his hand.

"You are hard to catch, Miss Lianna Curas", he said. The Dark Side of the Force was in every word he spoke and he was surrounded by it like the heat of a glowing sun.

"I was afraid", she said silently, with whimpering voice, barely audible over the heavy rain, "I knew I had no place to go… But I didn't want to die." She turned her head around to see this hunter, but against the bright lights of the main street, she could only see a black shadow. "Does this make me weak?"

For what seemed an eternity, there was no word spoken, neither by him nor by her. The only sounds came from the streets, the city and the rain from above.

Finally, there was a respond. "It makes you human."

The sound of the blaster shot was absorbed by city – No one noticed, no one cared. Tel Vynkar left the back alley and merged with the crowd.

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector  
Some kilometres away of a small village  
Same Time

"I… see", Cassidy replied.

As Arkyn watched the sun vanishing behind the mountains, he noticed a small black spot in the sky. He reached out with the force and he knew it was what he had waited for.

"So, when am I supposed to join these… Prophets?"

Arkyn smiled at her. _Right on time._ "Now that you're asking… What about right now?"

"What? You can't be serious!"

He took her by the shoulders and looked directly at her. "I am very serious", he said, but she still didn't seem to believe him. "Listen to me, Cassidy. There are some persons who see in you nothing but another Jedi who needs to be eliminated. And they'll do anything to kill you, or worse. That's why you have to go!"

She looked at him in disbelief. "Jedi? But…"

The black spot he noticed earlier got closer and could soon be identified by ear and eye as a _Lambda_-class shuttle.

"I know. You're not one of them – you never were. And you have proven this to us. However, some people are really narrow-minded on that matter. I have friends on Dromund Kaas – Friend who will protect and train you."

The shuttle folded its wings and gently put down on the surface.

Arkyn looked at the shuttle and then at Cassidy. "Your belongings are already onboard. Now go!"

Slowly, like in shock, she got up and marched towards the lowered ramp. After half the way, she turned around and looked back.

"There's no time to loose!" Arkyn yelled over the noisy repulsors, "The longer you stay here, the more dangerous it'll be for you! Go! Go and live your dreams!"

_Go and live your dreams!_

These words still echoed in his head as he watched the shuttle disappear in the sky. Cassidy now had a future and it was time to take care of his own. Some people wanted her death and he could name most certainly name one of them: Inquisitor Loam Redge.

_Go and live your dreams!_

As he drove the speeder back to the city he still could not get these words out of his head. He was sure her dreams were about to come true. He had not been that long with the Prophets, but he knew how things worked on Dromund Kaas. But what about his own dreams? Now that he looked inside himself, he saw nothing. There had never been anything. Sure, he had certain interests and hobbies, but nothing that he would see as his goal in life. And now, knowing that he had defied the – although unspoken – orders of an Imperial Inquisitor, worrying about his future might be pointless.

* * *

Cyphar – Dolkar Sector  
Imperial Palace – Ballroom  
Evening

"… For quick reaction that brought down an important enemy of the Empire and the leadership of a Rebel cell during the Battle of Lirax-II, Captain Hulak, TK-336, of the Imperial Army is awarded the Medal of Liberty…"

The ballroom of the Palace had been completely repaired and refurbished and looked nothing like before the Rebel attack. All white colours and the marble were gone, replaced by darker, but warmer wooden panels. Acting as current head of the sector – since Moff Liron Gar had suddenly disappeared – Grand Moff Lynch Hauser of Oversector Seven put a formal end to this little crisis.

"…And for his bravery during the Battle of C'tau III, facing the enemy against all odds, knowing that he might not survive, Captain of the Line Petro Salvay of the Imperial Navy is awarded the Medal of Horror…"

Arkyn was glad he made it back here in time. The way back from the fields where he had spent the day with Cassy had taken much longer than expected, mostly due to his own thoughts.

"…For his insight at the Battle of the Reltek Nebula, his tactics at the Battle of C'tau III and his strategies during the Rebel hunt in his Sector, Vice-Admiral LeFey Gordon is awarded the Medal of Guile and is promoted to Systems Admiral…"

This time, Arkyn wasn't here as a royal guard. But since he couldn't show up as a Dark Side Elite either, he was dressed as a civilian. From what he could tell, most of the people here thought of him as a normal bureaucrat – Not that he would mind…

"…For stunning tactics as well as outstanding commanding abilities during the Battles of Tytia and Marol, Commodore Farah of the Imperial Navy is awarded the Medal of Guile…"

Arkyn knew he wouldn't receive a medal. At least not here, maybe back in the Deep Core, on Byss – If he would return there alive: One encounter was left.

"…For outstanding achievements, exceptional civil duty in maintaining peace and facing almost certain death during the massacre of Wan'ber, Aurelia Glermin of the Imperial SubAdult-Group is rewarded the Palpatine Cluster…"

Aurelia stepped to the podium, wearing a dress uniform of the SubAdult-Group. She accepted her award and thanked the Grand Moff, but Arkyn knew she didn't care much. She didn't do all this for rewards. And he knew she would leave this event as soon as possible: There were still some things to be taken care of for her.

A person stepped next to Arkyn. He recognized the Imperial Intelligence dress uniform and the insignia of a lieutenant.

"The Inquisitor wants to speak with you", Jaios Caybasi said, "As soon as possible."

"Understood."

"…For above average fighting skills, for handling combat situations with skill and clear thinking, Commander Jex, IC-3557/56, of the Imperial Inquisition is awarded the Medal of Valor…"

* * *

Deep Space – Somewhere between the Dolkar and the Dalonbian Sector  
Secret Rebel rendezvous point  
A few days after the Battle of C'tau III

The infinite darkness of space knew no limits. Within this eternal darkness, there was no way that the Empire could keep an eye on every single spot of it. Here, outside the borders of all star systems and far away from any major or minor spacelanes, three Rebel ships had come together. It was time to discuss the future of the Rebellion.

All ships were of the same class, old _Dreadnaught_-class cruisers.

The first ship looked worn down. The original hull had once been painted in Old Republic Red, but now, after being patched and repaired several times over the last decades, not much of it was left. Somewhere, the remnants of a seal could be seen – The seal of the Office of the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. Named for the group of High Marshals that once and still used this ship as their headquarters, the hull bore the words _Iron Wings of Justice_.

The second cruiser stood out among all other ships, because instead of the usual light grey colour that could be found nearly everywhere in the galaxy, it was painted in dark grey, almost black. The hull had been modified to carry additional weapons, most prominently the large ion cannon at the bow. Although in better shape than the first ship, the scares of numerous battles could be found all over the hull. The symbol of the Old Republic had been removed a long time ago and now the starbird of the Rebellion decorated the hull. But it wasn't red, it was green. The _Peregrine_ is a legendary figure, the ghost of an old man, cursed to wander the worlds for all eternity, never finding a home, and that was what this ship was named for.

At the first sight, nothing special could be noticed about the third ship. It looked like fresh out of the shipyards, painted in light grey with no markings. A closer look however would reveal that it was no stranger to battles either. Also, a strange and abstract arrangement of black circles and lines was painted on the hull. Barely visible from afar, someone would thing of a random ornament; however a closer research would reveal that this was the emblem of a Bothan clan – Clan Alya. It shared the name with the capital city of the Bothan colony world Kothlis – _Tal'cara_.

* * *

Deep Space – Somewhere between the Dolkar and the Dalonbian Sector  
RS _Peregrine_ – Comm Blister  
A few days after the Battle of C'tau III

When Irenez entered the communication blister, the Commander was already in a conversation with two holographic figures: The Bothan Borsk Fey'lya and the old Sunesi Aqinos.

"I heard Qixoni has returned from Wan'ber", the Commander said.

"Yes, he arrived at the _Pelagia_ a few days ago", Aqinos said.

"I've read his report", Fey'lya said, "It was… disturbing."

"Indeed", Aqinos answered, "Who would have thought that a Darksider would be involved."

"I was referring to Trybokk's behaviour. What he did was beyond all we ever agreed on. We are the Rebellion, not Terrorists!"

"Aligning with Kalamar was a mistake from the beginning!" The Commander said with a stern voice, "From now on we all – and that includes me as well – have to take on a more active role in this."

"Yes, the mistakes of the past must not be repeated", Aqinos added, "Especially now that Empire has let its force-hounds loose!"

_Force-hounds?_, Irenez thought, _That's one way to describe these Dark Jedi. Are you that afraid of them, Aqinos?_

"Our first priority should be rebuilding our forces", Fey'lya said, "Many of the spread Rebel cells had already joined us under Kalamar and despite our losses at Marol and C'tau III, we still have a large amount of resources at our disposal."

"So, where should we go from here on?" Aqinos asked.

"The Dalonbian Sector", the Commander answered, "My… contacts have provided me with the location of several promising locations."

_Contacts…_ Irenez shuddered. Only to think of this creepy, hissing creature sent several chills down her spine. Just in that moment, the door to the blister opened and a large tall humanoid person entered the room, clad completely in black organic-looking armor and a long black cape with a hood that concealed his face. Irenez gulped.

"I hope these contacts are reliable, Commander", Fey'lya commented. He surely was concerned, since these contacts weren't part of his Spynet. That alone made them suspicious for the Bothan. Somehow Irenez was sure that Fey'lya wouldn't talk that way if he knew that this 'contact' was standing right in this room, just outside the camera's angle. "From what I know, the sector is still under imperial jurisdiction!"

"There are a few colonies, that's right", the commander tried to please the Bothan, "But the majority of the sector is unpopulated. Besides, it's too far away from the Empire to even notice."

"Well, the Dalonbian Sector it is, then", Aqinos said. "I must admit, I have a personal interest there as well. But we shall see."

After a few concluding pleasantries, the conference was over and the Commander turned around.

"Irenez", he said, "I'm glad you and the others made it back here alive. Nom Anor, what news do you bring?"

The black person began to speak, with a dark and hissing tone. "The Empire has defeated the student of your allied _Jeedai_ on the planet of Regal IV. The weapon the student hoped to find there was not there, but merely a map that would lead to it – A map that is now in the hands of the Empire."

"If that is true then we cannot allow the Empire to get its hands on it, Commander", Irenez said.

"Yes, if the Eye of the One is really as powerful as the legends say, then we must get it first." He paused for a moment. "However, from what I've heard about what happened at the Reltek-Nebula, I don't think we have to worry that much."

Irenez remembered that battle. She had seen the small creature that she had left in space – the Dovin Basal – and the results of that: A solar flare that had completely annihilated an Imperial fleet.

"Oh, what you have seen at Reltek was just a small portion of the powers of the fraction I represent. But the Empire cannot be allowed to wield this ancient force known as the Eye of the One. What, Rebel Commander Garm Bel Iblis, would you think the Empire would do with it?"

* * *

Orbit of Cyphar – Dolkar Sector  
ISS _Black Citadel_ – Inquisitor Redge's private chambers  
Late Night

The private chambers of the Inquisitor were located in a bubble on top of a short spire that poked out of the back of the large Calamari Cruiser. The top floor of this bubble was a panorama deck and a place where the Inquisitor would usually welcome important guests.

"You summoned me, Inquisitor?" Arkyn asked after he had left the turbolift.

Redge turned away from the panorama window, while Lox didn't move and kept his eye on the young Dark Jedi. "Indeed, I did, young warrior."

_'Young Warrior'?_ Arkyn thought, _What happened to 'my warrior'?_ But he didn't said a word.

"If I remember correctly", the Inquisitor continued, walking towards him, "I told you to take care of that Jedi girl named Cassidy Nolan."

"That's correct, Inquisitor", Arkyn replied, not moving a muscle, "And that was what I did."

"Is that so? Then why must I hear that she left with one of our shuttles? Why is she on her way to Dromund Kaas?"

"Because, Inquisitor, I took care of her. Her future is with the Empire."

Suddenly the red blade of the Inquisitor's lightsaber sprung to life and was pointed directly at Arkyn's throat. But although the young Darksider flinched a little, he still did not move. "She is a traitor!" Redge said with an angry voice, a side he hadn't seen before, "A traitor that will with high probability betray you… and the Empire on the next best opportunity. People like her are just tools… Pawns in your game – disposable. And you know the Empire's policy… _Thus die all traitors!_"

Arkyn could feel the beating of his heart up to his throat. The Inquisitor was no fighter, but if he would take no defensive measures, this blade at his throat could easily kill him. He forced himself to calm down. This was not the right place for panic.

"Inquisitor", Arkyn said and used all of his force-techniques to sound calm and confident, "you are mistaken. Cassidy may have betrayed the Rebellion and the Jedi, but to be truly a traitor, you first have to believe: And that is something she never did in her live, except in her own dream. And that dream will come true for her now: She has found new hope, a chance for a life she always wanted to live but never could. She is _grateful_ for the Empire and that is something she will never betray – as long as we don't betray her."

He paused for a moment. "Besides, Inquisitor, I am a Dark Side Elite, not an Inquisitor. I'm a fighter, a simple and pragmatic warrior. I don't play games. I don't use people in my intrigues, speak in riddles or play hide-and-seek just for the fun of it.

"But you knew that, didn't you? That's why you took us with in the first place: Someone who could think in a different manner than you, someone who could face the enemy head-on if things got messy.

"And that is what we did: We hunted the Rebels all over this sector, took out their leader and killed the Jedi!"

Somehow Arkyn was now so confident that he put up a little smile. "The only thing left for you is to live with the consequences…"

"Watch your tongue, Arkyn Medor!" The Inquisitor shouted, still very angry. "You may think otherwise, but remember: You are still not one of the big players in the Empire. You are young, small and unimportant. Crushing you here and now would make you just one of many who had fallen before. Remember this!"

He deactivated the lightsaber and turned around. "Tomorrow the museum will send an expedition to the Rakatan ruins of Regal IV", he said, sounding a little bit calmer. "Since this superweapon might still be out there somewhere, you and Vynkar will accompany them. Dismissed."

Arkyn didn't say a word. He just nodded and slowly walked back to the turbolift door. But he still kept all senses on high alert – you could never be too sure with an Inquisitor around. Before he reached the door, the Inquisitor spoke again.

"One last thing, Arkyn Medor: Whatever happens in the future, I will hold you personally responsible for all the girl's actions."

As Arkyn stood in the turbolift, he was first of all relieved that he was still alive. The last words of the Inquisitor didn't bother him much. He knew that he could trust Cassidy.

_Did I disrupt your game, Inquisitor? Did I not get along with your carefully laid plans? I can tell you one thing: I don't care. I'm a Dark Side Elite, an Executor, an elite warrior of the Empire! And that is where my loyalty lies, an only there. With the Empire. No ancient sect, no Dark Side mastermind._

_I am still no 'big __player'? Well, some day I'll be. And then you'll realize that my path was the correct one: Always move straight forward. Whatever the future brings, I'll be ready. May it be the ancient ruins of the Rakatan Empire or the Rebellion or both: Wherever the Empire will lead me, I'll be ready to fight, for I am a loyal Servant of the Empire!_

**End of **_**Servants of the Empire: Old Enemies**_

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* * *

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**Author's notes:**

-The place where Arkyn and Cassidy have their picnic is the same where the Jedi killed all the Imperial troops at the beginning of the story. Closing the circle, so to speak.

-The different medals are taken from _TIE Fighter_, _Heroes and Rouges_ and _Dark Forces_.

-The mysterious Commander's name is revealed, but with all the hints before I guess it wasn't that much of a surprise.

-Much more of a surprise would be the involvement of Nom Anor. But it makes sense: His job is it to destabilize the galaxy and the Rebellion is the best opportunity for that.

-With that, the story comes to an end. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. The sequel, _Legacy of Infinity_, is already planned. If you liked it so far, feel free to leave a review. Thanks.

-JCE1985.


End file.
